


Shadow of the Moon

by TheDogPotato



Category: Whitechapel (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Medieval, Angst, Comfort, First Kiss, Getting Together, Huddling For Warmth, M/M, but fantasy medieval so basically just the aesthetic and not much historical accuracy, werewolf Kent, werewolf hunter chandler
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-31
Updated: 2020-01-06
Packaged: 2021-01-15 09:30:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 30,321
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21251195
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheDogPotato/pseuds/TheDogPotato
Summary: Chandler is a werewolf hunter arriving in a village in the woods to hunt his first werewolf, but things don't go exactly according to plan





	1. Chapter 1

Chandler came riding on the road leading into the forest. The light of day was fading, and the sun’s last rays lit the road ahead in a bright orange light. The colours of the landscape around him were warm but the chill in the air spoke of the oncoming autumn. He pulled his cloak closer around him to ward off the cold. Soon the last rays of light were obscured by the trees as they entered the forest.

“Don’t worry, we’ll be there soon,” Chandler spoke to the horse as he patted its neck. It responded by letting out a puff of air. It was not yet cool enough for it to be visible in the air. That at least was a comforting thought as he would be spending the next night outside in the woods. He looked forward to a nice meal and a comfortable bed to sleep in after what had been a long day of travel.

He had thought he would be able to reach the village before nightfall, but the journey had been longer than he had anticipated. Luckily it didn’t matter whether he had the light on his side or not. The road through the forest was straightforward and it wasn’t long before he could see the lights of the village through the trees. The forest opened up to reveal the village. Chandler had never been there before, but it was obvious which building he was headed for; the big building up ahead with a warm glow spilling out onto the street, music and laughter.

He headed for the nearby stable where he unsaddled and was ready to take care of his horse before going inside to take care of his own growling stomach, when a fair young man with dark curly hair stepped into the stable. He glanced at him with big nervous golden eyes before speaking timidly:

“Uh, excuse me, sir. Please let me take care of your horse. It must’ve been a long ride.” He didn’t quite meet Chandler’s eyes as he spoke.

Chandler was clearly a man that came from money, and as he had only just gotten around to gathering his belongings, he was currently carrying his crossbow in hand. He realised that a stranger such as himself might come across as intimidating, so he did his best to seem approachable. Especially since he appreciated the gesture as that meant he could satiate his hunger sooner. He gave the man a small smile:

“Oh yes, thank you, er?”

“Kent.”

“Thank you, Kent. I’m Chandler, and that’s Sagitta whom I’m sure will appreciate some care after the day’s travel,” Chandler said as he nodded towards his horse who neighed as if to confirm his words.

Kent gave him a shy smile, and Chandler found his payment before heading into the tavern. 

Most people were enjoying their drink and chatting or listening to the music, but a few people glanced his way when he entered. A gruff looking older man at the bar followed him unapologetically with his eyes as he headed towards the bar himself.

Chandler glanced over at him meeting his gaze for a moment before calling the attention of one of the women working there.

He requested to stay for a couple of nights and ordered a meal. The man beside him kept quiet as he did so, but it wasn’t long before he spoke:

“You come to the woods for some hunting?” he gestured towards the crossbow standing at Chandler’s feet.

“Yes,” Chandler replied simply. “I hear you have a werewolf problem.”

“Pfft, we got a wolf problem alright, but don’t get carried away. I know you’re far from the city and it can be tempting to get swept up in tales like that, but there’s no wolfman running around here.”

“So, there haven’t been several attacks and murders happening in the forest here?” Chandler asked calmly.

The man eyed him suspiciously. “Yeah, there have. Like I said, we got a wolf problem.”

“I heard there were some survivors. Did they not say it was a werewolf?”

“Where have you heard all of this?”

“You grilling the newcomer, Miles?” The woman at the bar asked with a smile as she brought Chandler a bowl of soup with a lump of bread. Chandler hungrily dug in as soon as it was placed before him.

“I have to. It’s part of the job.”

“The job?” Chandler asked as he wiped his mouth with a handkerchief.

“Guard. I keep the village safe,” Miles responded

“I’m just saying, don’t scare him off. I don’t want to lose the money,” she said with a wink.

“It’s alright. I don’t have anything to hide. I’m Chandler by the way,” he extended his hand. Miles looked at it for a moment before taking it.

“Miles,” he said. “So you’d heard about the wolf attacks from where?”

“An acquaintance of mine was recently passing through. He heard a man had been killed. Apparently it had been a while since anyone was killed last, but two people had survived the attacks and told of a werewolf, so I’m here to take care of that.”

Miles squinted and looked him up and down.

“Is this something you do a lot?” he asked, one side of his mouth curled up in an amused smile. Chandler knew his fine clothing spoke more of a man used to luxury than of a beast killer.

“I-“ he hesitated wondering whether he should lie. “No, this would be my first one.”

“So, you’ve never killed a werewolf before, let alone seen one?” Miles continued.

“No, I have to start somewhere.”

“Have you ever killed a wolf?”

“No.”

“But you’re gonna go out in the middle of the night, tomorrow when the moon is full, I presume, to hunt one?”

“Yes.”

Miles leant back in his chair.

“I see there’s no need to worry about you. You’re just gonna get yourself killed, walking into the woods deliberately at night when you can’t see a thing.”

Chandler tried not to let his pride get hurt.

“That is not my choice. The werewolf only transforms at night during the full moon.”

Miles rolled his eyes. “There is no werewolf. It’s just a regular old wolf, but those are dangerous too. I’m not about to head out there to hunt it even if it’s a menace to this village.”

“What about the victims then? The people who said they were attacked by the werewolf?”

“We’re a village right next to the forest. Like I said earlier, it’s easy to get carried away and swept up in supernatural tales when you live in a place such as this. Especially if you’ve survived a wolf attack. I understand that they were shaken up about it.”

Chandler thought about it as he finished his meal. He wasn’t there to convince sceptics. He was there to hunt and kill the beast. To help the village and to prove himself. His father had been a werewolf hunter too but had been killed many years prior while out on a hunt. Chandler had always looked up to him and wanted to be like him. When he was killed this want had only intensified and now, he had his chance.

“Either way, I’d like to have a talk with them tomorrow. Could you point me in their direction?”

“Well yes, if you came here on horseback, you’ll already have met one of them. Kent. He works in the stable here. You’ll find him there. Otherwise just ask his sister, Erica,” he nodded over towards the dark-haired woman behind the bar. Chandler could see the resemblance. “Although I don’t think you’ll get much out of him. He mostly keeps to himself, his sister or the horses since he was attacked. Poor kid. He was hurt badly. Still, he was luckier than most that’ve come across the beast.”

There was a moment of silence out of respect for the victims of the beast before Miles continued.

“The other victim, Morgan, you’ll find in her home just up the road. To the right of the butcher’s shop. She’s most likely home weaving so you just have to knock.”

“Thank you.”

“Yeah well, just don’t go bringing that thing around town,” he nodded down towards the crossbow.

“Oh, don’t worry. I won’t,” Chandler smiled reassuringly.

“Well, I suspect I’ll be seeing you around here tomorrow evening as well. Goodnight,” Miles said as he stood from his chair. “Goodnight, Riley. Erica!”

Chandler bade him goodnight at the same time as the women. He didn’t stay at the bar for much longer, longing for a good night’s sleep on top of the day’s travel.

He was led to his room. It was humbler than what he was used to, but the bed was comfortable enough that he soon fell asleep.


	2. Chapter 2

After breakfast Chandler headed to the stable ready to talk to the first survivor, but there were no one except his horse and another horse in the stable.

His horse whinnied and tossed its head happily when it saw him. He walked over to it and stroked its neck for a bit before treating it to a piece of apple – an easy treat to find this time of year. Its ears perked up and it whinnied again, and Chandler turned around to see Kent entering like the day before.

When he saw it was Chandler and not a new rider, he nodded and was about to walk away again, but Chandler stepped towards him.

“Uh, Kent, excuse me?”

Kent stopped in his tracks. He glanced worriedly over towards Chandler.

“Yes?”

“I was just wondering if I might have a word with you about the werewolf attack,” Chandler explained. Kent looked taken aback by this. His gaze briefly flickered towards the exit before it fixed itself on some point on the ground.

“I-uh… Wh-who told you?” he closed his eyes, and Chandler felt guilty for asking. This was clearly not a subject he was comfortable with, but he needed all the info he could get to help rid the town of the beast that had hurt him.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I am a werewolf hunter. I’m here to kill it, but it would help me if I knew more about it. Could you tell me about the attack?”

Kent was quiet for a moment before simply replying: “I’m sorry, sir.”

Chandler furrowed his brow. He’d been told he wouldn’t get much out of him, but nothing at all? Couldn’t he see that this would help others from having the same fate as him or worse?

“What did it look like? How far into the woods did you meet it? How did you escape it?” Chandler pressed on, eager to get _some _information out of him.

Kent kept silent, but he looked like he was contemplating something, giving Chandler hope that he might be figuring out what to tell him. He didn’t press any further.

Kent sighed deeply after a while before speaking quietly, his hands fidgeting as he found the words: “It looked like a big wolf walking on two legs. When it attacked, I wasn’t that far from the path. I was taking a shortcut through the trees on the way home. It was very late so I just wanted to get back here and then suddenly it was there, all claws and teeth, but it stood back up to howl at the moon, and it hurt but I ran and I tripped and I fell down and then I was under water. I had fallen into the river and I started to drift away, and I thought I was going to die, but I hit a rock and I clung onto it and I managed to climb on top of it and I just lay there, holding on. They found me there in the morning.”

“That’s incredible that you survived that,” Chandler said in awe of the story. Kent didn’t reply. “Thank you very much for telling me that. It was very brave of you.”

Kent huffed, but it did bring out the smallest of smiles.

Chandler stood up straight as he declared: “Every bit of information helps, and I will do my best to dispose of the beast tonight, so the village is no longer haunted by its presence.”

The smile faded from Kent’s lips.

“Thank you, sir,” he said in a low monotone voice.

Chandler had hoped this would instil some hope into the man, but he couldn’t expect high spirits from the man he’d just made to recount the horrible events he clearly didn’t want to think about.

“That was all,” Chandler said when he noticed Kent was still standing there, his eyes still on the ground. He briefly met Chandler’s eyes, nodded, then turned around and quickly left the stable.

The fact that the werewolf had attacked close to town only served Chandler as a reminder of his father’s teachings to always be alert. The comfort of being close to town could bring about a false sense of security that might have been his downfall.

He continued up the road until he saw the butcher’s sign and found the door to the right. He knocked a couple of times, stood back and waited.

A brown-haired woman opened the door, surprised to see the well-dressed stranger at her door.

“Hello,” she said.

“Hi, I am werewolf hunter Chandler, are you Morgan?”

“I am.”

“I heard about your attack and was wondering if you could tell me about it. It would aid in my job.”

“Oh yeah, of course,” she said and stepped aside to let Chandler in. He entered and she offered him a chair at the table and a mug of ale. Once seated she began telling him of the attack.

“In hindsight I know I shouldn’t have gone out there, but I was just so angry that the village had to live in fear of this thing. People go through enough without a murderous beast lurking in the woods, waiting to kill anyone who might enter. People should be able to walk through the forest without some beast trying to rip their heads off!”

“Of course!”

“I just wanted to do something about it, so I borrowed the butcher’s knife and I went out there looking for it.”

“Were you aware that it couldn’t be hurt by anything other than silver?”

“I’ll be honest. I didn’t think much about the werewolf tale, although I did pick the full moon to go out there. I’d seen the stable boy head out into the woods during full moon once after his attack, so I think he might’ve spun that tale to exaggerate what happened to him, but sadly I soon learned that not everything about the werewolf was a lie. I was walking in the woods, first close to town, then deeper and deeper, and then I knew there was something behind me. I looked and I just saw this large shadow. It pounced and I was knocked to the ground and I just remember thinking that I needed to hit it with the knife, so I turned around and I struck it with the knife, and it did nothing, and I just stared at it as it put a gigantic clawed paw down on my chest, crushing me with its weight so I couldn’t breathe.”

She swallowed deeply. The memory affecting her more than she wanted to let on.

“Um, and then it-it just sort of recoiled really fast like it’d been burned, and it whimpered, and I didn’t know what was going on, but I thought that was my only chance, so I ran from it. It didn’t follow me. Perhaps it didn’t want to run on its burned paw. I later realised that I was wearing my silver locket, and that that must’ve been what burned it.”

She picked it out from underneath her blouse and held it so Chandler could see.

“I couldn’t believe it,” she said with an incredulous laugh. “A swing from a butcher’s knife didn’t do it any harm, but just touching my silver locket burned it badly. If I didn’t believe it before entering the woods, I do now.”

Chandler nodded.

“Did you get a good look at it?”

“Yeah, it was big, um had a humanoid body covered in black fur and a face just like a wolf’s.”

“Thank you so much for sharing this,” Chandler said.

“Thank _you_ for doing something about it. I’ll be happier knowing that beast isn’t out there terrorizing anymore.”

Satisfied with the information he’d gotten, he bid Morgan farewell and left for one last errand before heading back to the tavern. He inquired about a scholar in town and was directed to his home. He had gathered all the information he could about werewolves back in London but sought new information wherever he went.

Arriving at the scholar’s home, he knocked on the door that was slightly ajar. No one answered so he called and waited for a reply. There was none, so he curiously opened the door, and found a room filled with an impressive amount of parchment.

“Excuse me?” a voice from behind him rang out, giving him a small fright. He guiltily turned around to face the man who was impatiently tapping his foot at Chandler standing in his doorway.

“Oh sorry, I was just looking to see if you were home, assuming you’re the, um, scholar in the village?” Chandler said.

“Yes, Buchan, yes. Have you come here to seek knowledge?” He asked as he pushed his way past Chandler and gestured for him to come inside.

Chandler followed, and Buchan walked past him then closed the door.

“Yes, I wish to ask you-“

“Is a relative of yours suffering from an ailment or disease you wish to cure or better?” Buchan interrupted.

“No, I-“

Buchan pushed past him again and shuffled through some of his parchment as he kept talking: “Ah, might you be looking for a tutor for your son?”

“No, I don’t have a ch-“

Buchan suddenly abandoned looking through the papers and looked up at him suspiciously.

“If you’re here for spells or other such nonsense, that is not what I do. You can waste your money on such frauds elsewhere.”

“I’m not-“

“Ah, then are you perhaps a scholarly man yourself, come to broaden your horizon? Contest minds? Exchange knowledge?” He asked excitedly.

Chandler felt quite overwhelmed at the intensity of this man. He reached into his pocket and grabbed a handkerchief sprayed with perfume and held it across his nose and mouth, breathing in a couple of times hoping to beat the headache he could feel coming up. “Actually, I’m just here to gain some extra knowledge about the werewolf attacks. I thought you might be able to tell me some more, either about these specific attacks or if you happened to have any knowledge about werewolves in general.”

The excitement fell from Buchan’s face. “You mean the wolf attacks?”

“You don’t believe it’s a werewolf? Not even with the victims as witnesses?”

“I believe they were attacked, yes, but by a creature that doesn’t exist? No.”

“They both describe the beast as being humanoid, the attacks were on the full moon, and one of them hit it with a butcher’s knife to no effect while silver burned it. That sounds like proof of it being a werewolf, don’t you think?”

“Fear can make you see things especially in the low light at night, people just only ascribe the things that happen on the full moon to that tale, Morgan is not a trained hunter or a butcher so I’d take her skills with the knife with a grain of salt and whatever happened with the wolf, she only connected it to the silver after the fact because she knows of the werewolf mythology.”

“What do you think happened then?”

“It might’ve been hurt before, she might’ve only glanced it with the knife which was why it didn’t react until it moved, both more plausible than it being burned by the cool metal of a locket.”

Chandler sighed. He once again reminded himself that he wasn’t there to convince sceptics, so instead of arguing about the existence of werewolves and possibly antagonising the man, he just asked:

“Do you happen to know of the victims who were supposedly killed or attacked by this beast and could you tell me about them? Maybe give me some sort of timeline?”

“I suppose I could do that, yes,” Buchan said sounding less impatient now that Chandler wasn’t arguing that the beast was a werewolf. He turned around and started looking through his parchments. “I should have a list somewhere, not purely regarding that, but it should have their names and date of death. Ah yes. There. Yes, so there have been 7 victims attributed to this beast total. This is most likely due to the fact that they happened in the woods on a full moon,” he said underlining his stance on the werewolf theory. Chandler didn’t object but simply listened, and the man continued:

“5 deaths, 2 survivors. Cathy was the first victim a little over a year ago. They found her ripped to pieces like she was attacked by a wild animal, then a couple of months later Lennie disappeared on a full moon and people began speculating that he might’ve been taken by the same beast. The werewolf legend really took off when the next month saw another man, Ben, attacked by a wild animal just as gory as the first attack, and just a month later Thomas met a similar fate. Then 4 months passed without any deaths attributed to the beast before Kent was attacked by a beast in the forest. The hysteria had died down but came back in full force after that. People will panic if they hear a wolf howling if it’s even near the full moon let alone during a full moon, and some people have decided to try to hunt it to rid us of this threat that has been largely exaggerated. This resulted in Morgan also being attacked by the beast 2 months later, narrowly escaping the clutches of death like young Kent, and then 2 months after that, that is just last month, John did the same, only he was not as lucky. That is the timeline of the attacks,” Buchan ended the dramatic retelling of the tales, then added:

“Now light brown fur has also been reported found near the corpses, contrasting with Morgan’s statement about the animal that attacked her which suggests different animals. There have also been animal attacks that did not happen on a full moon, but people like to look at patterns and they like to make things special and so they ignore that, but if that is your fancy then so be it. I can’t tell you anything you don’t already know about the werewolf mythology I’m sure as I don’t really care for that, as I’ve made clear.”

Chandler nodded. He had still gotten new information and he appreciated having a timeline of the attacks. He thanked Buchan for his time and knowledge.

“Well I’m here to provide knowledge for the curious. I do hope you’ll return wanting to discuss some other matters and that you’ll consider changing your mind regarding the fanciful werewolf theory.”

“Well, I’m going hunting tonight. I’ll tell you what I find out,” Chandler replied. Satisfied with the day’s findings, he headed back to the tavern to get some rest before nightfall.


	3. Chapter 3

The nerves were starting to get to him, but Chandler was aware that being wellrested and wellnourished would be necessary for the job he was about to do. He managed to sleep in the afternoon and headed down to the tavern for a meal before the moonrise.

People were starting to gather in the tavern, but despite carrying his crossbow with him, they didn’t seem to mind, most of them being regulars who recognised him from the day before. Chandler spotted a familiar face seated where he had been the day before and headed over that way thinking it would be nice with some conversation to distract him from his nerves.

“Glad to hear you haven’t killed anyone with that thing today,” Miles said with a grin as Chandler sat down beside him.

“I don’t make it a habit of wandering into new towns murdering people,” Chandler replied as he sat down also a smile on his face.

“Wise move. People would instantly know it was you with that thing. It’s not exactly subtle and I’m betting the bolts for it are silver as well.”

“They are,” Chandler affirmed.

Miles tutted. “It’s such a waste. Of your life as well. You look like you’re well off. Why throw it all away by going hunting at night when you’re clearly at a disadvantage? You could probably gather a hunting party to go hunt it during the day.”

Chandler smiled as he shook his head. “Werewolves aren’t known to come out during the day.”

Miles huffed and they fell into a silence enjoying their separate meals and drink.

A man entered and walked up to the bar next to Chandler.

“Oi, Riley,” he called out loudly to her. She smiled as she headed over his way.

“Mansell! Fancy a drink?”

“Of course, but only if it’s from the finest brewery in town,” he grinned.

She started to pour the drink as she replied: “Do you ever drink anything else?”

“Of course not. The quality is guaranteed with this one, although it doesn’t hurt to check that it stays as good after being hauled over here,” he winked as he grabbed the mug out of Riley’s hand and took a drink.

“Whatever your excuse for being here is, sadly it doesn’t matter. Erica isn’t working tonight,” Riley told him. He looked at her with mock offense.

“I could be here to see you, Riley, or Miles,” he gestured across Chandler’s head. “Or I could be here to meet new people!” He bumped his shoulder into Chandler who jumped slightly at the unexpected gesture.

“Hi, I’m Mansell, the best brewer in the village!” He said as he extended a hand towards Chandler. Chandler took it after a moment where he had to regain himself.

“Chandler,” he paused briefly wondering whether to add his job or if he’d be met with another sceptic eager to tell him that werewolves didn’t exist. He settled on not saying anything, but then Mansell accidentally knocked into the crossbow he’d placed at his feet and he had to quickly bent down and grab it to prevent it from falling.

Mansell’s grin disappeared and he suddenly asked with a much more serious tone:

“Are you here to kill the werewolf?”

Chandler blinked in surprise at this. “Um, yes.” He noticed that both Riley and Miles looked somber as well.

“The last victim was my friend, John,” Mansell said looking down. “He went out there. Wanted to kill it for Kent’s sake. For everyone’s sake. He was a good man. Smart. Tough. But the beast was stronger,” he looked up at Chandler righteous anger in his eyes. “If you go out there, I hope you have better luck than him. I hope you slaughter it! Wolf or werewolf, it doesn’t matter. What matters is it being dead.”

“If I do my job right, it should be by the end of this night,” Chander assured him, and Mansell gave him an appreciative nod and smile.

Miles sighed. “It’s just gonna be the same story over again. The smart thing would just to keep out of the woods at nighttime. Are you sure you don’t want to just stay inside? Have another mug of ale?”

“Don’t tempt him with such tastiness,” Mansell said, the cheer coming back to him.

“I appreciate your concern,” Chandler began.

“It’s nothing personal. It’s just my job to make sure people are safe,” Miles grumbled.

“And it’s my job to deal with this,” Chandler said.

“Your job? Were you hired by someone? I thought you just heard about it from an acquaintance passing though.” Miles raised an eyebrow.

Chandler looked down, his hand tightening around the handkerchief in his pocket. “Um, well no, yeah I did just hear about the attacks. It’s-it’s important that I deal with this.”

Miles stared at him for a moment. It was clear he wanted to question him about why. Chandler was thankful when he didn’t and instead continued from where he’d left off.

“Well like I said, I just have to make sure people are safe, but I can’t stop you from wandering into the woods at night if that is what you fancy.”

“I’m glad I don’t have to battle two beasts tonight,” Chandler joked.

“Oi!” Miles said, but then his somber expression returned. “You seem like a good guy. Be careful. Survive the night.”

“And kill the beast,” Mansell added.

Chandler smiled at them both. “I plan to.”

He looked outside and saw that the bright full moon had now come into view. It was time. He took a couple of deep breaths, steeling himself for the night, before he bade the others a good night, grabbed his crossbow and headed out into the night.

He immediately noted that it was colder than he would have liked outside. The sky was mostly free of clouds leaving no isolation to trap in what little heat the ground had absorbed during the day and a fresh wind was picking up. Chandler pulled his cloak close around him. It was well made so even though it wasn’t suited for colder weather, it would suffice in the cooler September weather.

He made his way towards the fringe of the forest but stopped just as he reached the first of the trees.

With a pulley attached to his belt, he spanned his crossbow making sure the bowstring was as centered as possible for the best shot. Once he’d spanned the bow, he pulled the trigger and did it all over again. He spent the next two minutes spanning the bow and then undoing it with a press of the trigger until he finally regained himself. He stared into the dark forest and with the crossbow spanned but unloaded he ventured in between the trees.

The full moon shone down from the nearly cloudless sky providing an impressive amount of light down through the trees. A blessing, Chandler thought, as he hadn’t brought a lantern with him. He couldn’t, if he were to have any chance of spotting the beast before it spotted him.

It wasn’t long before he could no longer see the lights from the village and any perceived sense of security vanished. Realistically it wouldn’t make much of a difference if he was attacked now or closer to the village, but as soon as he no longer had the comforting lights in his peripheral, an uneasy feeling came over him. His hand, that wasn’t carrying the crossbow, fell upon the hilt of his silver dagger sheathed in his belt. Should he be ambushed, the dagger was much quicker to draw and defend himself with, than it would be to load and shoot the crossbow.

Having the moon light the way had its downside, he soon found out, as the forest cast shadows all around him that swayed like the forest did in the wind.

The constant movement in the corners of his vision made him jump more than once, as he imagined the creature stalking him. Soon the only thing he could hear was his own heavy breathing. He stopped to calm himself. He had to be collected and alert. He kept still and listened for sounds around him.

The wind made everything in the forest very loud. Leaves were murmuring above him; wood was creaking as branches bent in the wind. Somewhere in a tree an owl was hooting persistently.

The variety of sounds didn’t give him many chances of perceiving sounds that might belong to the beast, but it did provide a cover as he traversed the difficult terrain beneath his feet and covered the sound of crunching leaves and twigs that were impossible to avoid. He tried to avoid the trickier undergrowth underneath his feet, but still thorny bushes gripped onto his clothes and he had to wrestle the plants to get himself free. Whenever he’d untangled himself, he stood still and waited for movement. Heavier movement than the constant moving shadows. Moving would instantly betray his position and he knew that when the time came and he came across the werewolf, he would have to exert his will and keep still even if his immediate reaction would be wanting to flee or attack. Keeping still could save his life as it could be the difference between him getting spotted by the werewolf before he had the chance to shoot properly or not. 

The wind picked up and whistled through the trees. Was that?

Chandler stopped in his tracks. He could’ve sworn it had sounded like a wolf’s howl. No, it had just been the wind. It was too coincidental otherwise. No, there it was again. A screamy howl. He froze, but then recognized the yippy chatter that followed. Foxes.

He should feel relieved by this, he thought, but he wasn’t. Being alone in the forest at night with those noises around him did nothing to settle his nerves even if he knew they did not pose a danger to him. Their noises were unsettling, and he could feel his heart beating faster. His thoughts soon ran unchecked with things that might be lurking out there in the darkness. 

He kept fiddling with the hilt of his dagger, a nervous motion as he moved away from the sounds, but still deeper into the forest. A bit of fear didn’t hurt him as long as he didn’t get carried away. It would only keep him on his toes if he kept his focus. He rid himself of the wild thoughts and began scanning the area as he walked, once again on the lookout for the real threat.

Soon he entered a deeper, denser part of the forest. With the trees growing closer together most of the moonlight was obscured, and it provided a shelter for the wind, making the trees much more quiet.

Chandler’s footfalls were quieter too, as the ground was now covered in a layer of moss. He ducked and weaved his way between the branches almost tripping over the trees roots a couple of times but catching himself before he fell.

One of the scarce clouds in the sky must’ve passed in front of the moon as suddenly everything was pitch black. Chandler slowed down and blindly stumbled forward. He realized that he much preferred the moving shadows under the light of the full moon to being senseless.

Without his sense of sight every branch he brushed past, every low skittering sound on the forest floor, every creak of wood or whistle of wind was an ominous warning of the beast’s imminent attack.

Chandler stopped, almost ceasing to breathe, as he tried to pick out if there was a presence there that hadn’t been there before.

And then in the darkness. A piercing howl.

Chandler’s heartbeat picked up again, its noise beating in his ears, but he didn’t waste any time. It was still far enough away that he didn’t have to worry about being ambushed yet. His hand left the hilt of the dagger to guide him safely from tree to tree in the direction he had heard the howl.

The cloud passed and the low visibility of the dense forest returned. Chandler moved more swiftly now that he could see, and it didn’t take long before he was once again out where the trees were further apart. It was probably easier for the large wolf to move in such a terrain, Chandler thought.

Another howl. He had gotten closer.

Even though he was able to move faster now that he was out of the dense forest, he moved as quietly and carefully forward as possible, scanning the forest for the werewolf.

Suddenly, he heard other noises. Some of them sounded like snarling, which led him to believe there was some sort of confrontation, but then some of them sounded like whimpering, like it was hurt.

Whatever the noises meant, what they told him for certain, was that he was very close now. He loaded the crossbow and ever so slowly made his way forward, steeling himself for the imminent confrontation.

The noises were continuous, alerting him to the presence of the being and Chandler was starting to wonder if it really was the werewolf making these noises. A werewolf on the hunt would not be making noises like that but would silently be sneaking towards its prey. Chandler would have little way of knowing it was there which was why he had to be so alert.

All doubts were banished when the beast let out another howl, this time so close by that Chandler could tell exactly where the beast was located. He took a deep breath, prepared his crossbow and stepped to the side so he’d have a line of sight of the beast beyond the trees.

His blood turned to ice at the sight that met him. He thought he’d prepared himself, but he could not have been prepared for the sight of the large hulking humanoid wolf illuminated by the moonlight. Its colouration resembled the shadows around it. He'd come to face it directly and it was all too aware of his presence. Its teeth were bared, as it growled at him, and its ears lay flat against its skull. Its front limbs were oddly contorted backwards in a way that seemed unnatural and its legs were bent and digging into the ground as all of the muscles tensed.

It was ready to attack him, Chandler thought. Now’s the only chance! But he was frozen, staring into the golden eyes of the beast.

No, I must avenge him. Shoot. Shoot! Chandler thought desperately as he tried to get his body to move, before he was mauled by the aggressive beast that was snarling at him and… it just kept snarling.

Chandler realized it was still in that same position straining against something.

Once he realized he wasn’t facing immediate death, he could focus clearer. The reason for the werewolf’s weirdly contorted front limbs was a thick rope tied around both of its arms and around the big tree the wolf was crouching up against. It was digging its legs into the ground in a fight to free itself from its bonds.

The wolf kept an intense eye on him and the crossbow he had raised against it. It would be so easy to shoot it, restrained as it was, but Chandler couldn’t help but wonder how it had come to be like that. No one could have overmanned the beast and tied it up like that. That much was obvious as Chandler stared at the powerful being that was getting more and more desperate to get to him.

As it strained suddenly it whimpered loudly and fell back against the tree, giving its shoulder a quick lick as it kept a wary eye at Chandler. It was hurting itself trying to get to him. Chandler shifted from one foot to another and the movement made the beast move again. It almost seemed desperate to Chandler who couldn’t help but study the beast curiously. A chance he would have never expected to have.

With the desperate movements against its bonds it didn’t take long before it starting whimpering again, once again falling back against the tree, licking at its hurting shoulder. Looking at it like this, it seemed nothing more than an animal caught in a trap.

A trap that it had set for itself, Chandler realised. It had to be. The human part of it was fighting against the animalistic part. With that realisation, he lowered the crossbow.

The wolf snarled at his movement, but it stopped straining against the bonds when the threat of the crossbow wasn’t immediately hanging over its head.

For a while, they simply stared into each other’s eyes, both of them wary of the other. Chandler had seen it struggle against the bonds, but he could also see how powerful it was and he did not trust the rope, the knots or the tree enough to keep it at a safe distance from him if it decided to try again. The wolf still saw him as a threat but not enough to bring about the pain again.

He had come out here to slay the beast, but looking into the intelligent eyes of the wolf - the person who had locked themself away deep in the woods, his conscience told him no. He couldn’t do it.

He took a step back, earning another low rumbling growl as the wolf lowered its head. But it didn’t fight the bonds, instead just watching him. He slowly backed away from it as it suspiciously followed his every movement until he was once again out of sight.

He ran.

He knew the wolf was bound, but his flight instinct kicked in and he fled through the forest, fuelled by adrenaline. In the distance, he could hear the wolf howl again. It didn’t come closer, but still he didn’t stop until he reached the other end of the dense part of the forest.

He leant up against a tree, resisting the urge to vomit as he regained his breath. He fished the perfumed handkerchief out of his pocket and held it close to his face. The familiar scent had a soothing effect and after a while, he felt well enough that he could continue.

Fatigue soon settled in as the adrenaline was spent and he stumbled back to the tavern, unaccomplished and conflicted.


	4. Chapter 4

Chandler didn’t wake until late in the day, exhausted from the night’s event. He headed down to an almost empty tavern. Only Riley and a few patrons he didn’t recognise were there. He ordered a meal and prepared to leave. Had things gone to plan he might’ve stayed for a couple of days, telling the tale of the hunt, but as it was, he was not in the mood for talking about it, and even though it was late in the day and he would have to ride into the night to get back to London, he wished to make his departure as quickly as possible.

He did go out of his way to find Miles before he left the village though, as he had to warn him that the werewolf hadn’t been slain. He found him patrolling the streets.

“There he is, the great monster slayer,” Miles exclaimed in surprise as he saw Chandler riding up to him.

“Yes, about that. I’m returning home for the time being, but I didn’t come across the werewolf last night, so it’s still out there. I thought you deserved the warning.”

“That’s probably why you’re still here, so I would say you got lucky,” Miles said. “Now of course it could be said that it’s possible to hunt the _wolf_ any other day of the month, but maybe that’s not worth wasting those expensive bolts for?” He raised an eyebrow.

“As someone who is still in the belief that it’s a werewolf, I would not wish to waste my time in the woods, but I promise to return next month.”

Miles sighed. “That wasn’t my intent with that remark. A wolf hunt is dangerous even in broad daylight. If you return I hope for your sake that you bring some backup. You were lucky this time around, but going back there again In the night would be tempting fate, and I would not recommend that.”

“Nevertheless that is my promise and I intent to keep it,” Chandler replied.

“How stubbornly noble of you,” Miles muttered.

Chandler didn’t reply but gave his goodbye.

“Safe travels!” Miles yelled after him.

He made the journey back home arriving safely albeit late at night. In the following month he often thought back to the events that night.

He had spared the beast even though he had set out to avenge his father. This was likely not the same beast, so would killing it really achieve vengeance? Yes, it was the same type of beast; mindless and murderous. The type he had trained to kill, and he had failed even though it could’ve been so easy.

But the werewolf he had encountered was neither mindless or murderous. It would have killed him had it not been tied up. That he was sure of. But the only one who could have done that was the person behind the beast. The person it was every other day of the month. Someone who did not want their other self free to roam about the forest to kill.

Did someone like that deserve to be killed in cold blood?

Chandler couldn’t justify that, but at the same time it was guilty of murder. It had only been a month since its last murder. Had it not been tied up at that time? Had the person tried and failed to make the bonds strong enough for the werewolf’s strength?

If the person had tried to prevent it, could they be held responsible for the wolf’s actions?

But then there were also the other villagers to think of. With the amount of wolf attacks ascribed to it, it would not do to let the werewolf go free. He had to go back there and find out who it was. Try to find a way to secure both justice and safety. Plus going to see it would give him a chance to study the werewolf in a way that no other werewolf hunter had ever been able to do since their encounters had always ended in blood being spilled. This was a unique chance for him and he was going to take it. He would bring his weapons still and be prepared for an attack, but if the werewolf had restrained itself again he would wait the night out this time, then he could talk to the person behind the wolf and figure out a way that would both bring justice and safety in this complicated situation.

The month passed and Chandler once more set out on his way towards the village. The sky was cold and grey and everything seemed darker than the last time around. It had been raining on and off the last couple of weeks and the roads were muddy and wet.

Chandler combatted the wet weather with layers of wool and a lined leather coat to repel water and trap in air, so he could keep warm and dry.

Sagitta powered through the mud and puddles like a champion and Chandler was already thankful towards Kent that he would be there to take care of her. She deserved it.

The days were shorter now and it was already dark as he headed into the forest. The rain had stopped a while ago and the clouds parted enough to let the moon light the way. The moon wasn’t full yet but Chandler still got an uneasy feeling, as the forest was illuminated in its pale glow, and he started scanning the forest for anything moving.

But his worries were unwarranted. He saw nothing and nothing leapt out of the forest to attack him and his horse, and they made their way safely to the village where he once again headed for the stable next to the tavern.

He unsaddled and started caring for his horse in the time it took Kent to stop by and notice the tavern’s new visitor.

“Excuse me, sir, I can take care of your horse for you after the long ride,” he said and Chandler turned to him with a smile.

“I and Sagitta would very much appreciate that.”

Kent straightened his back in surprise when he recognised Chandler.

“You’re back?” He asked bluntly.

Chandler was surprised by this.

“Oh, I guess word didn’t really get around. I failed to spot the werewolf last month, so I have returned for the hunt this moon,” he explained.

Kent lifted his eyebrows and simply went: “Oh.”

There was a small pause where they awkwardly looked at each other before Kent went: “Well welcome back, I’ll look after Sagitta once more.”

“Hah, yes, thank you,” Chandler said as he stepped aside, then remembered he had to pay and fumbled to find his coin purse underneath the layers of clothing.

Kent glanced back over his shoulder when Chandler didn’t immediately leave. “That’s alright, sir, I’ll be inside in a moment.”

“Oh, right. Yes. Well, I will see you inside then,” Chandler said. He made his way inside the tavern. Like last time it was bustling with life in the evening. Chandler didn’t spot Miles nor Riley, but Mansell was sitting at the bar chatting with Erica.

Chandler seated himself nearby and Erica left him for a moment for Chandler to order some food and drink and a room to stay in.

“I hear the hunt was unsuccessful last time. Here’s hoping luck will be with you this time,” Mansell said as he raised his mug towards Chandler. So, word had gotten around a bit. Maybe they just didn’t discuss matters of the werewolf when Kent was around.

He thanked Mansell, but as soon as Erica was available to talk to again, he didn’t pay Chandler much mind.

He ate in silence, listening to the music being played and following along with people’s conversations, most of it was gossip or idle chatter, but he did hear a couple of people discussing the upcoming full moon and the importance of staying inside and about how some of their friends didn’t believe in the werewolf and called it a myth. It seemed to be a divisive topic around the village.

He was soon finished eating, but he stayed by the bar waiting for Kent to arrive as he finished his ale though he suppressed a yawn. He counted the money and had it ready, but if it took too long, he figured he could always hand it over to Kent’s sister.

He’d almost finished the ale as well when Kent entered in a rush and sat down next to him.

“Sorry sir,” he said almost sounding out of breath even though he had only run from the stable. “Time got away from me.” He glanced at the empty plate and almost empty mug of ale. “But at least Sagitta should be a happy horse.”

“Thank you,” Chandler smiled.

Kent smiled and ducked his head a bit making some of his dark curls gently fall across his face. Chandler made a movement to slide the coins over towards Kent but before he could do so Kent interrupted him.

“Actually,” Kent looked up at him, the look in his golden eyes bolder than Chandler had seen before. “I was wondering if I could buy you another mug in exchange for a description of last month’s hunt.”

Chandler hesitated. He couldn’t tell him the truth, so he’d be taking the man’s money in exchange for lying. He decided to deflect the question instead.

“Um, excuse me for being so bold, but you seemed to be uncomfortable around this topic of conversation last time. Why do you want to know?”

“Last time,” Kent said with a huff. “A stranger came asking me about a past traumatic event. I wasn’t prepared for that, but I’m curious about the hunt.” He grabbed a coin and glanced from Erica back to Chandler.

Chandler felt guilty. He wanted to reassure the man that he would get of the werewolf that had attacked him, but if he found the wolf bound to a tree again, he could not kill it, but he was going to bring it to justice somehow, so he wouldn’t be letting him down.

He seemed to be more out of his shell and Chandler didn’t mind having some company, so he decided a little lie couldn’t hurt and nodded.

Kent ordered two mugs of ale and Chandler noticed a small exchange the siblings seemed to have silently, glancing over towards him, before Erica turned around to get the ale. Kent turned towards him with a smile.

“So, about the hunt?”

Chandler decided to ignore their silent exchange for now and focus on the conversation. “Well, as you know, I didn’t find the werewolf so there’s not really much to tell. It was mostly just me walking around in the woods and if I’m being honest, being paranoid about the sounds I heard and sights I saw.”

“Yeah, your own mind can play tricks on you. People liked to remind me about that a lot in the month after my attack,” Kent said as he took a large swig of the ale that had just been placed in front of him. The movement made one of his curls fall across his forehead in an odd angle.

“They don’t anymore?” Chandler found that hard to believe with the amount of people denying werewolves’ existence.

“I stopped talking about it.”

“Ah,” Chandler said and took a sip in the following silence. He kept glancing at the stray curl and wanted to reach out and fix it. He wondered if it would be impolite to mention.

“You’re not dissuaded by not having seen the wolf last time?” Kent continued the conversation.

“I heard it howl.”

“And you didn’t follow it?”

“Well, it wasn’t continuous. I followed the sound but that wasn’t a guarantee when tracking a beast that’s… on the move,” he hesitated thinking about the moment he had first heard the howls and how they had led him to where the werewolf was chained.

“Regular wolves howl as well,” Kent said bringing him out of his thoughts.

“Yes, well,” he eyed the man before him. “Are you having doubts about what you saw?”

That question seemed to catch him off guard and for a moment his eyes were wide with surprise before he huffed.

“No, I know what I saw. I was just curious about you. You didn’t see a werewolf and yet you returned to try to hunt it again?”

“Ah, my father was a werewolf hunter as well, so I have never doubted their existence.”

“Was?” Kent inquired inclining his head at an angle that fixed the stray curl.

Chandler didn’t reply straight away, and Kent quickly retracted the question. “Oh, no I’m sorry if that was too forward.”

“No, I suppose it’s nothing more than what you have shared with me,” Chandler said and met his eyes with a sad smile. “He passed away a long time ago while he was out on a hunt. I’ve always meant to step in his footsteps, and this has been my first chance, so I guess that’s why I’m trying again. I want to live up to him.”

“He was killed by a werewolf?” Kent asked quietly.

“Yes.”

“Aren’t you afraid the same thing will happen to you?”

“To an extent, yes, but I wouldn’t be much of a hunter if I let that stop me.”

“Did it feel like a failure? Last month. Not seeing the werewolf. Returning back without having done the job you set out to do,” Kent asked, his golden eyes staring intently at him.

Returning back without having done the job he set out to do. It _had _felt like a failure not being able to kill the werewolf even though it was right in front of him. He had since come to terms with that. Happy with his decision to take this opportunity to learn more about werewolves and to try to understand it more by waiting through the night and talking to the person behind the wolf. He couldn’t convey all of that to Kent though, but he didn’t want to lie, so he just gave the shortest honest answer.

“Yes, it did.”

Kent nodded sadly, then emptied out his mug and put it down with a sort of finality. Chandler was still only half finished with his own mug. He’d expected the conversation to last longer and it was an almost sad realisation that it might be coming to an end so quickly.

“Do you want another mug? My treat this time,” he offered.

Kent winced and looked down at the table. He sighed.

“I’m sorry, but it’s getting late. You’ll be wanting to gather strength for tomorrow’s hunt as well, won’t you?”

“Well, that’s not until nightfall though,” Chandler tried.

“I’m sorry, but my work starts a bit earlier than that,” Kent said as he got up from his chair. Chandler couldn’t read his expression, but he looked unhappy. He cracked a small smile, but it didn’t reach his eyes fully. “Thanks for sharing. Good luck with your hunt tomorrow.”

“Thank you,” Chandler smiled back at him, though his smile too wasn’t entirely genuine, as he was saddened by the abrupt end to the conversation.

“Wow,” Mansell said from across the bar. “That has got to be the longest time he’s been in here in a long time.”


	5. Chapter 5

Chandler didn’t do much the following day. He visited Sagitta in the stable with a slight hope that Kent would be there. Maybe it was like Mansell had said and he had just needed space after being social, but Chandler was worried it might’ve been related to something he had said, and he wanted to clear that up. Maybe he should’ve changed the subject away from the werewolf, but it had been Kent himself who kept asking questions.

Without Kent anywhere to ask, he couldn’t do anything about it, so he pushed it from his mind and spent an uneventful afternoon walking around the village getting to know it a bit better. It looked beautiful surrounded by the forest covered in warm autumn colours, and when light faded in the afternoon and people retreated to their homes a smell of smoke filled the cool autumn air and dancing firelight shone out from the buildings.

He then returned to get a couple of hours sleep before heading down for a meal like the last time.

Miles was sitting at the bar and he nodded when he saw him. Chandler joined him for dinner.

“You’re back to test your luck like you said, huh?”

“Yes, I wasn’t lying.”

“No, but you might have come to your senses in the meantime. You’ve had a whole month. Did you bring back up at least?” Miles glanced about the room.

“I didn’t, no.”

“Then you must really have faith in that luck of yours,” Miles said shaking his head.

Chandler smiled. “Are you gonna try to talk me out of going hunting every time we talk?”

“Well, talk about how dumb it is, yeah. If that talks you out of it then good. It should. Though it clearly doesn’t, so maybe I shouldn’t bother. You know what, if I see you again, then I won’t mention it at all.”

Chandler chuckled. “Well I’ll look forward to that conversation then.”

Riley who was manning the bar, overhearing the conversation nodded towards the window. “Seems like a wolf isn’t the only thing you need to worry about. That’s some dreadful weather to be out in all night.”

Chandler followed her line of sight to find that it was pouring down outside.

“I guess I’ll delay a bit. Hopefully it’ll let up soon enough.”

“And give yourself less time to hunt?” Miles cocked an eyebrow.

“Or less time to get killed as you would put it,” Chandler responded.

He stayed inside until the rain seemed to lessen and then he could delay it no longer. He put on his coat and grabbed his crossbow.

Riley and Miles both wished him good luck and he headed outside. Like last time, he took his time to span the crossbow and undo it until he managed to stop himself. It was different this time. He expected the wolf to have restrained itself again, but he didn’t want to too careless. It wasn’t certain. Neither that the person had restrained themselves again nor that the bonds could hold them. If he stopped being vigilant that could mean his death.

He headed into the forest, wondering if he would be able to find the wolf again. Everything seemed different. A dark cover of clouds obscured the moon, making it so dark that Chandler almost couldn’t see.

He had to use his free hand for guidance through the trees, making the journey go painfully slow. The earth was soft and wet from the rain and he had to be careful not to slip as well.

The whole forest was different in the soft rain that tap-tap-tapped on the plants all around him. The leaves beneath his feet were slippery instead of crunchy. His footfalls were silent beyond the occasional soft squelch, and when he was unlucky, the splash of stepping in an unseen puddle.

His clothing on his upper body did a great job of keeping him dry and trapping in air, but with the recent rainfall it didn’t take long before water was seeping into his boots, and the wet undergrowth brushing against and clinging onto his legs made them cold and wet as well. Even though he still had many hours before he could return back, he was happy that he had a warm place to return to and wasn’t going on a long journey where staying dry would have been of utmost importance. 

Everything around him had a strong earthen smell that was only enhanced by the rain. Chandler thought of the many mushrooms and fungi that was surely covering the ground he walked on.

A sharp light cut through the night and shortly after the low rumble of thunder followed. Chandler heard the movement of something in the forest around him and stopped. It didn’t sound large enough to be a werewolf, but he kept still, trying to search the darkness for anything.

Another lightning bolt cleaved through the sky, and in the second of light, he scanned the area. He couldn’t see anything. He decided it had to be some woodland critter spooked by the sudden light and sound and pressed on. 

When he reached the denser part of the forest it didn’t make much of a difference as he was already stumbling through the darkness. It was only interrupted briefly by the occasional lightning, but from the sound of the thunder it wasn’t travelling towards him, and the occasional flicker of light that the bolts brought became sparser.

The rain soon travelled the same way and while the clouds overhead still enveloped the moon, soon the only drips of water came from the trees. Chandler tried to perceive the sounds around him. It had been around here that he had heard the wolf’s howl the last time, but this time there was nothing.

He moved ahead but without the sound to guide him he soon felt lost in the denser part of the forest. He felt like he should’ve reached the end of it by now, but it continued. It wasn’t until much later that the trees started to spread out again and at that point, he was sure he had exited it in a completely different spot from last time.

He wondered if it’d be better to turn around, but he would have no idea where his path had diverged from the one, he had taken last time, and might get even more lost. He figured it’d be easier to travel along the outside of the denser forest. He started walking in the direction he thought was right but it didn’t take long before he realised he couldn’t go that way as one of his steps found purchase on nothing and he almost fell. He realised he could hear the sound of rushing water below. In the low light he couldn’t determine the width of the stream, but it would be foolish to try to cross in this low visibility.

He turned around again and hoped he was headed back to where he exited the dense forest, but he soon realised that he was no longer near the dense forest at all. He was complete and utterly lost.

He decided that since he was already lost, he might as well keep walking. Standing still would not help him find the werewolf if it was restrained somewhere, so he picked the direction he felt the best about and began to move in that direction.

After a while he realised that there was more visibility in the forest. The sun was starting to go up. He sighed. If last month had felt like a failure, he didn’t know what this felt like. Getting lost in the woods and missing his chance to study the wolf.

He stopped in his tracks when a sound caught his ear. Snarling. It was vague, coming from further away, but could it be?

He loaded the crossbow for safety and carefully travelled in the direction of the sound, and there he saw a big tree. Around it a strong rope was wound several times and tied to that rope he could see the wolf’s arms. Its hands were clawed, and they had dug deep scratches into the trunk of the tree. Chandler walked in a big circle around the tree. The werewolf might be bound to the tree, but it was probably better to approach it carefully from the front than to ambush it. At least when his goal was to try to study it and not kill it.

As he passed by the tree, he got a glimpse of the wolf, its nose smelling the air. It turned to look in his direction, a low growl emanating from its throat, before it shifted to try to break its restraints. Chandler walked further, only entering the wolf’s direct line of sight when he was far enough away to feel a modicum of safety.

The wolf’s struggles intensified as it saw him. He held his free hand up and the crossbow out to the side, gently placing it against a tree. Close enough that he could grab it should the wolf free itself, but far enough away to be a message of peace. The wolf didn’t seem to care. If he wasn’t a threat, he was a piece of meat, and either way it made the wolf fight so hard that it like last time let out a whimper and backed towards the tree to ease the pain.

Chandler’s heart was beating out of his chest. Even if he was safe from it for now it was awe inspiring to look at up close. Its body was humanoid but big and powerful and covered in black fur that bristled, but the face was that of a wolf’s, only its mouth was big enough that Chandler could easily imagine its jaws clamping down over his head.

Despite being so tantalizingly close, the wolf had again decided that it wasn’t worth bringing about the pain to try to get to him. It stared at him; its golden eyes unblinking. Every once in a while, it seemed to smell the air. It’s fur still bristled, and the smallest of movements made it bare its incisors or snarl, but mostly it just eyed him suspiciously. He figured this was as relaxed as the wolf was gonna be and took notice of its features and what behaviour he had seen so far in his head as the dawning light slowly lit up the forest.

Suddenly the wolf’s eyes widened, and it pulled its head back to let out a long dissonant howl that instinctively made Chandler reach for his crossbow. He watched as the wolf shifted uncomfortably as its form diminished and its features changed right before his eyes. An unpleasant and unnatural change, but Chandler was unable to tear away his eyes upon seeing the grotesque change until instead of a werewolf in front of him was now a naked man.

It was with a shock that Chandler realised the man was Kent.

His upper body was heaving with intense laboured breaths after the transformation and it took him a few moments before he seemed to notice Chandler there again. As soon as he looked up at him, Chandler realised that he had been staring and quickly averted his eyes.

He could see Kent pull his knees up to his chest in the periphery of his vision.

Chandler didn’t know what to say. He hadn’t expected the werewolf to be anyone he knew let alone _Kent. _He was one of the victims. Why would he have made up a story about being attacked by the werewolf if he was the werewolf?

“Why haven’t you killed me?”

“I-I,” Chandler stammered but he couldn’t find the words, he tried to look up at Kent again but couldn’t quite meet his eyes. He looked down again feeling a blush creep up his neck.

“What is it that you want? If you want to kill me then just do it!”

“I don’t want to kill you!” Chandler protested.

“Really? You’re a werewolf hunter. If you don’t want to kill me what was that stuff about following in your late father’s footsteps and feeling like not killing me last time was a failure?” He spat out through clenched teeth, but Chandler realised they occasionally chattered, and thought of how cold it must be sitting on the ground, completely unsheltered from the elements. Hell, he was still bound to the tree.

“I didn’t realise. What would people think if I came to _talk _to the werewolf?” Chandler still wasn’t looking up.

“_Talk_?” Kent sounded incredulous. “Well you’ve got me here!” He sounded angry but his teeth were chattering more and more, and Chandler was very uncomfortable by the whole situation. He didn’t want Kent there as a prisoner. He wanted to talk to him on equal footing. To learn from him. Hear his experiences and motivations. Hear the whole story. He didn’t want this.

“I-I’m sorry. Should I help? Do you usually get free on your own?” Chandler said already moving towards the tree.

“My sister will be by soon. If I could get out when I’m like this, I think I’d be able to get out as a werewolf,” Kent said bitterly. His voice was shaky, and when Chandler reached the tree, he noticed how his arms were shaking too as tremors went through his body. He decided to take off his lined coat and moved around the tree to drape it over Kent. Kent’s expression turned from suspicious to surprised.

Chandler quickly returned to try to untie the knots, his whole face burning at this point. It took a while, but he managed to loosen them enough for Kent to free his hands. He rubbed his wrists and began rolling his shoulders, but the movement was broken as Kent sharply inhaled. Chandler stepped away from him again, moving towards the crossbow still propped up against a tree.

He still couldn’t bring himself to look at Kent, shameful of how invasive it had been waiting there until he turned back. He hadn’t thought of it like that when he was still a werewolf, a snarling beast that would kill him if it had the chance. A curiosity to be studied. To learn from. He still wanted to learn from him, but not right now.

“I apologise for this,” he simply said, his back still turned. He picked up his crossbow and started walking away.

It took at moment before he heard Kent call after him: “What about your coat?” But he ignored it.

In the early light of day it wasn’t difficult to find first the denser part of the forest and then other pointers to indicate where he was, so he could find his way back to the tavern.

Even without getting lost the trek back had been long and cold and he was shaking himself when he arrived back. Luckily a fire was burning, and Chandler settled there to warm up and get some food before he retreated to his room for some much needed sleep.


	6. Chapter 6

Chandler didn’t wake until it was already dark again. He felt a bit under the weather, but that was to be expected after the night before. It was nothing that wouldn’t go away with some food, drink and rest, so he wasn’t worried.

He headed downstairs, but the tavern was still only half full so it couldn’t be that late yet, unless it was very late, but Chandler didn’t feel like he’d slept that long. He noted that Erica was at the bar, so he figured that’d mean Kent was back as well.

He went out to the stables, although he didn’t expect to find Kent there. Still he held out a tiny spark of hope. He had to talk to him.

Kent wasn’t there, but Sagitta was happy to see him, so he stayed with her for a bit, before heading inside for some food.

When he sat down at the bar to order, he immediately noticed that Erica was glaring at him, so he turned to Riley to order instead. Riley didn’t seem to notice the icy stare being sent his way, but gladly commented on his return.

“Catch anything this time?” she asked him as she handed him his plate.

“No, still no luck,” Chandler replied.

“Well you’re back,” she said with a shrug. “Some would call that luck.”

“Yeah, Miles,” Chandler said. Riley smiled and nodded before heading over to another patron.

Chandler ate, still aware that he was being watched, and after a while, he decided he might as well just talk to her. He wanted to talk to Kent, and she would know where he was. He got up and nodded towards her. She crossed her arms and waited for him to come over.

“Erica, is there any way it would be possible for me to talk to Kent?”

Her expression was stone cold, but she nodded and led him outside. He followed her as she led him behind the building. He vaguely wondered if they lived in an extension to the tavern, but when he turned the corner there was nothing.

Erica turned to him, her expression no longer emotionless, but full of anger. “What do you want with him?” She demanded as she produced a kitchen knife and held it towards him.

Chandler, surprised, backed towards the wall and held up his hands. “I just want to talk to him. I promise.”

“I don’t know you. Your promise means nothing to me, but my brother means everything, and twice I’ve had to leave him out there fearing that when I returned you would have killed him. You didn’t. But you came back specifically to get his identity and I want to know why. Are you planning to hold it over his head as blackmail? Force him to do something? Or are you gonna study him like he’s some beast? Or get the glory of being the first werewolf hunter to catch one alive?” She walked closer, cornering Chandler against the wall.

“I don’t want any of that. I just want to understand. Please,” Chandler answered honestly. She eyed him suspiciously for a moment.

“Remove your silver,” she said.

Chandler blinked in surprise.

“Your silver. Toss it,” she nodded towards the ground, as she held the knife closer to him. 

He slowly reached into his pocket and fished out the silver dagger which he immediately threw to the side before it could even be registered as a threat. He then removed a ring from his finger and threw it the same way. The only other silver thing he had on him. His crossbow and bolts were up in his room.

When he made no other move for a while, she nodded. “Alright, come this way.”

“Am I to understand you’re actually leading me to Kent this time?” Chandler asked as he followed along.

“Yes. He’s bedridden for the day. Always is after a full moon. But he did expect that you’d come asking for him. He said to let you come, but I still don’t trust you, and I want you to know that I’m gonna be right there waiting outside for any sign that something is wrong.”

Chandler couldn’t blame her for her worries. Having his secret revealed to the village would most likely result in them having to flee or Kent’s death. Chandler could use this to have Kent at his beck and call. And capturing a werewolf and bringing it back to study would really be a feat that he would be famed for. Yes, those would be obvious ulterior motives, and Chandler couldn’t completely wash his hands off of them. He’d intended to study the wolf yes, but more so he wanted to learn and find a way to do right by the victims.

They arrived at a smaller building and Erica knocked on the door before holding it open for Chandler. He glanced inside, wary that she might have led him into a trap. She noticed and called out.

“Kent. The hunter is here to see you.”

“It’s alright. He can come in,” Kent’s voice was heard from the inside followed by a cough.

He entered the room and she closed the door behind him, leaving him and Kent alone in the single roomed house. Kent was lying in a bed in the corner of the room. He didn’t look well. He was pale, his eyes were sunken and glassy and his forehead was covered in a sheen of sweat making stray hairs stick to it.

Chandler didn’t dare get too close.

“Grab a chair,” Kent said. Chandler noticed his coat was hanging across the back of one of them and picked that one. He placed it at a reasonable distance from the bed, giving Kent a worried look.

“It’ll go away. It’s always like this, though a bit worse this time around. I don’t think the cold did me any favours,” Kent explained.

“You’re well enough to talk?” Chandler asked. He was considering coming back at another time.

“Yes. I’ve slept almost nonstop since I got home. I’m much better than I was earlier today. You want to talk? Well so do I. I tried to figure out why you would be back after choosing not to kill me last time, but I came to the wrong conclusion.”

He paused to cough facing the wall. Still Chandler recoiled a bit in the chair. His hand found the handkerchief in his pocket, but he didn’t take it out.

“I was certain you’d returned to redeem yourself and kill me this time around, so I found a place much further off. I used all of my willpower not to howl and lead you to where I was, knowing that was how I led you to me last time, but you still found me, but not to kill me. Then why?”

“It was the restraints. When I first entered the forest, it was with the intent to kill the werewolf, but when I saw you, I realised you were trying to prevent what your other self might do, and it didn’t feel right to punish you for the werewolf’s actions. But I also couldn’t just let it go. People have been killed in the past, and I thought there might be a way to ensure justice for them that didn’t involve killing someone trying to prevent it.” 

“There is a way,” Kent said. Chandler furrowed his brow. He still hadn’t come up with anything himself, but was keen to hear what Kent’s thoughts were. “I wanted to tell you, and I tried to see if I could, but there was no way to tell you without revealing that I was a werewolf. I was attacked six moons ago by a werewolf. It was as I explained to you, only I was bitten by it. I think I only survived the attack because I had already turned. I heal faster now. It’s how I can stand almost pulling my arms from my sockets month after month.”

He rolled his shoulder as he said so, but it didn’t look to pain him as much as it had earlier in the day.

“I didn’t know that this had happened to me, and on the first moon, I felt the change before it came and it’s uncomfortable, painful, and I decided to go home and lie down, but then it happened. I started changing and with that horrific realisation I knew I had to get as far away as possible, so I headed for the forest. As soon as I changed, I was compelled to hunt. I-I killed a deer and I just ate it. Right there. Tearing the raw flesh from its body.”

Kent looked like he was about to be sick at the thought. He retched but it turned into a painful coughing fit instead. He turned towards the wall still mindful of Chandler. It took a while before he recovered enough to continue, but Chandler waited patiently, keen to learn more. 

“The next month I went out there earlier, so I could get as far away as possible, but my senses soon picked up on a human nearby, and my instinct led me to Morgan. I stalked her and jumped, landing on top of her and she swung a knife at me, and it hurt, but I knew it didn’t matter, and it wasn’t going to stop me from tearing into her flesh. _I _wasn’t going to stop me from doing that. I tried. I tried so hard to regain control and to prevent it. If she hadn’t carried that silver around her neck, I would’ve killed. It hurt so bad to touch that metal, and my instincts immediately made me withdraw, and I am so thankful for it. I still wanted to hunt her down but paired with my survival instincts I could control myself enough to not pursue her, but it was a shock. I couldn’t just rely on going deep into the forest. I nearly killed a human being.”

He paused, looking horrified at the thought. Chandler gave him his time, fascinated by what he was learning about the experience of being a werewolf. Kent finally regained himself giving Chandler an apologetic look for keeping him waiting again.

“Since then Erica and I came up with the idea to tie me up before the transformation, and it works. It’s awful, but it works. But the problem is that the other werewolf is still out there, and whoever is behind that apparently doesn’t care about killing. People think there’s only one. If they ever found out what I was, they’d think I killed them. 5 people. John died because he felt so strongly about me being attacked. I wouldn’t. I would rather relive those horrible nights under the full moon over and over than do that. Trapped, alone, wanting to tear into flesh so badly, but never getting the chance to fulfil this hunger that feels like a pit in my stomach and almost willing to tear my arms out of their sockets to escape. Worried that I might do it and what I might do to another person if I did.”

It all clicked now. Kent hadn’t lied about the attack, and the reason he had told people about it instead of keeping quiet about being a werewolf was because he didn’t know he would become one. He also remembered Buchan saying that light brown fur had been found near the corpses suggesting that it was a different animal than the one who had attacked Morgan.

“So, you never killed anyone,” Chandler said quietly.

Kent huffed. “No, and I wanted to tell you so. Tried to see if I could, but you can understand why I want to keep this secret and telling it to a _werewolf hunter _of all people didn’t seem like the best idea, even if you’d spared me once.”

“That was why you wanted me to talk about the hunt?”

“I wanted to know why you didn’t kill me. Maybe I could tell you about the other werewolf. Maybe you would hunt that instead. But it just seemed like you thought it was a mistake not killing me. Like you’d failed your father somehow and you’d come back to finish the job, and I couldn’t keep up the conversation. It’s a bit tough talking casually to someone who wants you dead.”

“I’m sorry,” Chandler said. Kent really didn’t deserve having to add “worry about being slain” to his plate from all he’d learned about his experience.

“No, I mean, you thought I was a beastly killer. Of course, you’d want me dead. I would.” His face darkened.

“So, you want the other werewolf dead?” From what he’d heard, even if the other person didn’t restraint themselves like Kent did, they still weren’t in control. He’d never spared a thought to the person behind the werewolf before when training to become a werewolf hunter, striving to protect people from the beasts like his father, but Kent had quickly changed that, and he felt a bit conflicted at the thought, even though this werewolf was a killer.

“Yes!” Kent said emphatically. “It’s been killing people. It killed my friend. It made me _this.” _He gestured at himself even though there was nothing resembling the werewolf about him now, save for maybe his golden eyes. “And every month when we go out there and my sister has to walk back through the woods, I fear so much for her life. That’s the worst part. I try to talk her into going so early that there’s no possible way for the transformation to happen before she’s back safely, but she won’t do it. She doesn’t want me being uncomfortable longer than I have to. I try to tell her that me being uncomfortable is more than worth her being safe, but she won’t budge and I can’t do anything about that, so I just have to worry time and time again-” Kent continued, his hands at the sides of his face as he stared down. Chandler observed him getting more and more visibly upset, as he went on, and he responded with the first solution that came to mind: 

“I could come with you next month instead.”

Kent stopped talking to openly stare at him. “You would do that?”

“Yes, that is, only if you’d be comfortable with that,” Chandler assured. He could feel himself blushing again. “I’d be out in the woods anyway. It seems like I’ve still got a werewolf to hunt.” Despite feeling conflicted, he owed this to Kent for what he’d put him through. Owed it to the victims as well. Person or not, Kent was right. The werewolf had killed multiple times and it would likely continue if there wasn’t someone to stop it, and Chandler was that someone. He had trained for this. With how powerful the werewolf was there was little chance of subduing it. It was kill or be killed if he went hunting, but remaining passive would mean more victims, so the choice was made.

Chandler shook his head lightly as he finished his train of thoughts. He looked up at Kent who still hadn’t responded. He looked thoughtful.

“You’re really just here to learn and bring justice?”

“Well, yes.”

“And where do I fit in that justice? I mean, you’re a werewolf hunter. I’m a werewolf,” he looked down and fidgeted with the blanket.

“Well you’ve certainly taught me that being a werewolf is not inherently bad, and while the attack itself was regrettable, it’s a good thing Morgan was unharmed. Getting to the other werewolf will in a way be getting justice for her as well, as she would never have been attacked in the first place without it.”

Kent shifted a bit to make himself smaller, uncomfortable with the subject of him attacking Morgan.

“What I am trying to say is, I’m not here to ruin your life over something you couldn’t control, and something you’ve worked hard to avoid since. You face enough as it is. I wouldn’t reveal your secret, Kent,” Chandler looked at him until he looked up and met his eyes to convey that he was serious.

Kent’s eyes searched his for a moment, before, to Chandler’s surprise, he broke into a relieved smile. It lit up his sickly face and was a welcome sight.

“I didn’t know what to expect of this talk, but I couldn’t have hoped for more. Thank you.”

Chandler was about to protest. He didn’t feel like he deserved a thank you. Not after making the man fear for his life twice and invading on him to learn his identity.

“You’re the only one besides my sister who knows and to have you react like this instead of with fear, anger or hostility. It’s nice. And I can’t tell you how relieved I am to hear that my sister won’t have to be at risk walking back through the forest or that you might slay the other werewolf,” Kent continued earnestly, and Chandler dropped the protests, opting instead for a small smile and a nod in return of Kent’s gratitude. 

The silence that followed their serious conversation wasn’t entirely uncomfortable, but it stretched on, and Chandler felt like what needed to be said between them for now had been said.

He slapped his knees as he readied himself to stand. “And thank you for sharing again. I know it’s not the most pleasant of topics. Um, I’ll be staying in the village for a couple of days. Maybe we can meet some time before I leave and talk about something else?” Once again, he felt that warm flush creeping up his neck.

Kent didn’t meet his eyes this time. “Yes, when I’m rested up of course, but yes, I’d like that.”

“Heh, yes, well, rest well,” Chandler said. He stood up a bit too quickly, his head reminding him that he wasn’t feeling too well himself and should probably take his own advice. He turned around and was about to leave, when Kent called out: “Remember your coat.”

Chandler turned around again with an “oh yes” and Kent added: “It was very nice by the way. Warm.”

Chandler looked at Kent, his hands clutching the coat, unsure of what to respond. At last he settled on a simple: “Yes,” before quickly making his exit.


	7. Chapter 7

Chandler woke up late the next day, as he had the day before. He was fatigued from the cold, but it wasn’t enough to keep him bedridden. He had something he wanted to achieve during the day. He left everything silver he had with him in the room. He’d retrieved his dagger and ring on the way home the day before, happy to find that no one had found or taken it while he was gone.

A quick breakfast later and he was out the door. Erica didn’t stare daggers at him any more since the chat had gone well, but he could still sense she mistrusted him. He couldn’t fault her for that, and he didn’t bother worrying about it. Trust was won with actions, and he had no intent to hurt Kent in any way, so that was all there was to it really.

Chandler had decided to revisit the scholar of the village. The door was closed this time. He knocked, but there was no response. He tried again. Silence. He knocked a third time.

“Hello? Buchan are you in there?” He tried calling out, barely finishing before the door was opened in a hurry.

“Yes, sorry, yes! I was a bit pre-occupied, buried in notes and such, and- oh you’re the _werewolf_ hunter,” he said sounding less than impressed.

“You never did return last month. Did you not find what you were looking for?”

“No, not exactly,” Chandler began.

“And you’re not going to. Are you here to hunt again? No, wait, the full moon was the other day, wasn’t it?” He stared up at the grey skies as if would be able to see the moon. It was looking like rain again.

“It was, yes,” Chandler confirmed.

“So, you wasted your time not only once, but twice?”

“Instead of ‘wasted’, we can call it my own sort of research,” Chandler said.

“Aha, and did you learn anything interesting then?”

“I’m afraid not, but I did become curious and once again I was hoping that you might be able to help.”

A rustle was heard from inside. Buchan looked back, frowned, and then hurriedly ushered Chandler inside by pushing him on the shoulder.

“Oh, those annoying drafts!” he exclaimed as he closed the door. Chandler observed how several pieces of parchments were strewn about the floor. Buchan walked past and began to gather them.

“Do you need a hand with that?” Chandler offered.

“Oh no. I’ve got a system,” Buchan said as he waved a hand. Chandler just stood in silence and observed as Buchan gathered the parchment and put it back on a table. “So, what were you curious about?”

“Well I was thinking, if werewolves are a myth-“

“It’s not a matter of _if_,” Buchan interrupted. Chandler paused briefly but continued from where he left off.

“Then something must have started those myths. Do you have any idea what that could be?”

“Well yes, in this case it seems to be actual wolf attacks that people then interpret as werewolf attacks because they’re scared or superstitious.”

“Yes, but they’re already aware of werewolves. How did it start? How did it become a thing that humans turn into wolves, if that’s not the case?”

Buchan looked around, as if he also had a parchment that would contain information like that, but if he had, he didn’t find it and instead just listed off the knowledge off of the top of his head:

“Well, it was probably started by the same people who want to use supernatural stories to get rid of people, like witch-hunts, but of course relating it specifically to wolves could point towards it being people who are afflicted with different diseases giving them wolf like traits, such as oddly coloured eyes or teeth or excessive hair growth, and behavioural changes.”

“Diseases,” Chandler repeated. “Has anything ever been written down about curing these diseases?”

“Why do you ask?” Buchan asked, more out of curiosity than any suspicion. Chandler had expected as much. Since Buchan didn’t believe in werewolves, he’d thought it safe enough to go to him with these questions without rousing too much suspicion. He had promised to keep Kent’s secret safe after all, and thus had also prepared for this question to be asked.

“It is my job to be a werewolf hunter, and if it really turns out that there’s nothing more to it than these diseases, curing them could be the new way of ‘hunting’ them,” he explained.

“Ah yeees,” Buchan looked around again, this time actually sifting through some parchment to find something. He read a couple of lines from one, mumbling to himself, then moved on to the other table, but in the end, he didn’t find what he was looking for. He turned towards Chandler who had been patiently waiting. “There might have been, though the different symptoms of the diseases vary from description to description indicating different diseases, and I can’t seem to locate any immediately here. Interesting point though. I will- I will- ah, where did I- aha!” He fumbled around to find a quill and ink to write with. “I will jot that down, so I can remember, and I will get back to you when you- Oh, when do you leave?”

“I’ll only stay for a couple of days, but I’ll come back in a month’s time. I’m not entirely done with my search yet.”

“That’s good. There’s some time then. This will be interesting to look through.”

“Thank you for doing this. What do I owe you?”

“We can talk money if I actually find you something useful. Just come back in a month and we’ll take it from there,” Buchan said already absorbed in one of the pieces of parchments he’d briefly looked over earlier.

“Thank you again. I’ll come back then,” Chandler said taking it as his cue to leave.

“Fare well! Remember to close the door after you so the wind doesn’t get in!”

Chandler did just that. He was satisfied with having a scholar do this research for him, though he was also planning on looking it up himself when he returned to London again. He knew a lot about werewolf mythology but had never thought to look up anything related to curing one. It might yield nothing, it might only yield information on how to cure the diseases that Buchan had mentioned, but somewhere amidst this information regarding werewolves, there might be someone who actually knew what they were talking about. Someone who had first-hand experience with a real werewolf. There might be an actual cure, and on the small chance that it existed, Chandler had to search for it. For Kent’s sake.

He spent the afternoon taking Sagitta for a ride in the forest. Even though they rode on the paths in the forest and not in between the trees, Chandler figured any way he could get a better layout of the forest would help him, and Sagitta enjoyed stretching her legs.

The forest was entirely different during the day. Even in the dull grey light of day with the hanging rainclouds overhead, the colours were warm. The sounds of leaves in the breeze were soothing, and the bird calls friendly, even the crows cawing.

When it started to drizzle, they turned around in a faster pace than they’d been going when Chandler had studied the forest around him.

They were lucky and returned just before the drizzle turned into a steady heavy rain. Chandler began unsaddling, but startled, as Kent suddenly spoke:

“I wondered where you’d gone off to.” 

Between his own breathing from the exercise and the rain drumming down, Chandler hadn’t noticed him come in. He turned around and smiled when he saw Kent. He was looking much healthier than he had the night before. His eyes were clear, and colour had returned to his skin. He returned Chandler’s smile.

“We were just out getting some fresh air,” Chandler explained.

“Ah of course. I’m sure Sagitta enjoyed that. I’ll take care of her as usual, don’t worry. And I’ll suggest you run the distance from the stable to the tavern. The rain is only getting worse.”

Chandler wasn’t too worried about the short distance. His leather coat would shield him from the worst of it. He did however take notice of Kent whose own coat hadn’t survived the rain at all. Even though it had only just started to get worse, it was already soaked. That wasn’t really worth much. He frowned at the thought, but then noticed Kent glancing up at him.

“Um yes, uh, I’ll hurry in then,” he quickly said. Kent just nodded in response.

When he arrived inside, he spotted Miles sitting at a table right inside the door instead of at his usual spot. Next to him sat a blonde-haired woman laughing at something he’d said. He smiled warmly at her, but the movement at the door caught his eye and as soon as he spotted Chandler, he called out:

“Chandler! You survived the night again. I wondered if we’d see you tonight. Come over here and join us.”

Chandler took a seat next to them and shook off his damp coat across the back of the chair.

“This is Judy, my lovely wife. Judy this is the crazy werewolf hunter I’ve told you about, but of course we’re not supposed to talk about that,” he winked at Chandler, who huffed and smiled. He held his hand out.

“Nice to meet you, Judy, I’m Chandler. Crazy werewolf hunter.”

Miles and Judy both smiled.

“The pleasure is mine,” she said and shook his hand.

“Judy’s sister is watching the kids, so we’re just having a bit of a pleasant evening together,” Miles explained.

“Well don’t let me ruin that,” Chandler said.

“Nonsense! It’s nice with some company. Order some food and drink. I’m afraid we’ve already begun,” he gestured down towards their plates and mugs.

Chandler agreed, and soon he had a meal ready. It wasn’t until the food was in front of him, he realized how big of an appetite he’d worked up while he’d been out riding.

“You’re staying longer this time around?” Miles said just as Chandler had taken a big bite. He nodded awkwardly as he started to chew faster to reply properly, but Judy cut in, so he didn’t have to.

“Miles might not believe in werewolves. I don’t know what to believe. So long as there’s no proof that it’s one thing or the other, I’m sure it could be either, but no matter what it is, I think it’s very brave of you to go out there.”

Chandler noticed Miles couldn’t keep from making a face, but he’d promised not to talk about it being dumb, so he stayed silent.

“Thank you. I’m sorry to tell you it’s still out there, but I will be back again next month.”

“You almost seem like you’re getting fond of this little village with the amount of time you’re spending here,” Miles said.

“The nature is lovely,” Chandler replied. “There’s some good people too.” He smiled at the couple across from him.

Judy smiled, but something caught her attention. She waved at someone behind Chandler who turned around to see that Kent had just walked in. He smiled sheepishly, as he approached the table.

“Hi Kent, it’s been so long since I last saw you,” Judy said pleasantly.

“Hi,” Kent gave a small wave, then a small nod towards Miles who returned it. He turned to Chandler.

“Um, I tried not to let it take as long as last time. I’m sorry I kept you waiting there,” he said.

“Oh yes, of course!” Chandler exclaimed. During his conversation with Judy and Miles, he’d completely forgotten to find the money for Kent. He started looking, but Judy soon said:

“Why don’t you join us, Kent? The more the merrier!”

Kent looked unsure. He glanced towards Chandler to read his reaction. Chandler had stopped fishing for his purse and looked up at the suggestion.

“Yes, join us. I mean, only if you’re comfortable with that.”

“Of course!” Judy agreed.

“Uhh,” Kent hesitated. “Yes, I suppose. I haven’t had any dinner yet either, so I should eat anyway.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll pay,” Miles said and got up to order for Kent who sat down beside Chandler in the meantime. He took off the coat that didn’t look any better after the short walk back to the tavern.

“So how do you two know each other?” Judy asked. They quickly exchanged glances before Chandler explained:

“I arrived here on horseback. Kent’s been taking very good care of my horse, Sagitta,”

“Ooh lovely name. Oh, that’s lovely.”

“What’s lovely?” Miles said as he returned.

“Kent’s been taking good care of Chandler’s horse.”

“Well that _is _what you’re paid for, isn’t it?” Miles smiled.

“That it is,” Kent responded, then wanting to move the conversation along he asked: “How are the kids?”

“They’ve grown so much since you last saw them. Liam’s taller than his father now,” Judy said. Chandler smiled. Miles wasn’t a very tall man, so it didn’t take much.

“He misses you, y’know. He still really looks up to you. It’s much more fun to hang out with an ‘older boy’ than with his parents or siblings,” she continued.

“I’m sorry I’m not around so much anymore,” Kent said quietly. His tone made Chandler look from Judy towards him and his smile faltered when he saw Kent curling in on himself in an effort to look smaller in a similar way to when Chandler had brought up the attack on Morgan the evening before.

Miles had told him that Kent mostly kept to himself after the attack. Chandler figured that he didn’t want to be too close to people after what he had become, but that he felt guilty about not keeping in contact with people he had known well before the attack.

“Oh no, dear, don’t be. He has his friends. I’m just saying, you’re welcome to come over anytime,” Judy said sweetly.

“Thanks,” Kent replied, but it was easy to tell he was still uncomfortable.

Chandler abruptly launched into a discussion about the weather and told the others of his uncomfortable walk in the rain during the last full moon, and how he thought he’d dressed for the weather, but his boots and legs were soaked almost before the hunt even began. He focused only on the rain and cold rather than the hunt itself, and Miles carried on with some stories of a particularly bad storm they’d had a couple of weeks earlier.

Kent became more relaxed again. The conversation moved on and carried on for a while, until Miles’ stifled a yawn.

“Not that we can’t or don’t want to keep up with you youngsters, but it might be time we headed home,” he said.

“Well _I_ won’t lie and will say that we definitely can’t keep up with you and also we don’t want you two to have to spend all evening with us old folk,” Judy said.

“Oh no, that’s quite alright. It’s good company,” Chandler said.

“That’s very polite,” Judy began, as she and Miles stood up to put on their coats.

“Except for the part where you didn’t disagree about us being old folk,” Miles said.

Judy rolled her eyes with a smile and continued: “But we’ll leave you two to it. It was very nice seeing you again, Kent. Goodnight!”

“You too, and thank you for the meal,” Kent replied, as Chandler wished them goodnight as well. Miles put his hand up in a goodbye before they both left.

They both stared at the closing door before turning around to face each other. Neither of them said anything at first.

“Um, I actually just came in for the money,” Kent said scratching his neck.

“Oh sorry, I forgot,” Chandler replied a little too quick before searching for his purse again.

“Unless of course you would let me buy you a drink again,” Kent said, his voice a little lower.

Chandler paused then crooked a smile. “I think technically it’s my turn to buy the drinks.”


	8. Chapter 8

Chandler and Kent spent the evening having a pleasant talk about things that weren’t werewolf related. It was a nice change seeing Kent forget about his worries for a little while. Chandler had mentioned that he’d taken Sagitta out riding cause he wanted to get to know the forest better and Kent had suggested they could meet up the next day, since he was quite knowledgeable about its layout.

Chandler had taken him up on his offer, happy with the company as well. They’d agreed to go early in the day to have as much sunlight as possible and met up at the edge of the forest after breakfast.

“Which way did you go yesterday?” Kent asked.

Chandler pointed down a path that lead in the direction of the denser part of the forest, he’d been through a couple of times at this point.

“I had to see it in daylight, cause I got horribly lost the other night trying to find the place where I’d seen you on the first full moon. It didn’t help much cause I noticed the path takes a turn away from there and I couldn’t take Sagitta with me between the trees.”

“Yeah, I use it to my advantage that there are no riding paths that lead that way. It’d be bad if people could just stumble upon the place we choose. Actually I haven’t changed it up before, favouring the place you first happened upon, since it also has a natural barrier of the river if you come riding from the other side of the forest, but in trying to avoid you, I settled for the other spot cause it was harder to reach from the village,” Kent explained, and then mumbled under his breath: “Not that it helped.”

Chandler kept it to himself, that he had actually happened upon that side of the dense forest on accident while looking for the place he’d seen Kent during the first full moon, as he’d gotten lost.

“I suppose you came here from the big road?” He pointed back towards the village. Beyond it in that direction was the wider path that Chandler travelled on when he was going to and from London. He nodded.

“Alright, this path,” he pointed down a larger path that Sagitta would’ve been able to ride on as well. “Leads out of the forest too. But I’ll lead you along the river as it will illustrate some natural barriers.” He walked along a smaller path.

Chandler followed Kent, took in what he had to say, and did his best to memorize his surroundings. It’d be harder to keep track of in the middle of the night with no light.

Kent might be acquainted with the forest, but it didn’t look like he travelled much in colder weather. He didn’t have much in way of warm clothes, still just wearing that shoddy coat. He was tense due to the cold, his head between his shoulders as he tried to minimize the amount of skin exposed to the weather. The wind tussled his hair, and bit into his skin, making his nose, cheeks and ears flush red, but he didn’t complain. Chandler thought that was admirable. Many of the people he knew from home would complain at the slightest inconvenient weather, and that was even with clothes suited for it.

Kent turned around to look at Chandler briefly, a pleasant smile on his face that reached his golden eyes.

“It’s been a while since I’ve gone for a proper walk in the forest. It’s nice. I’ve always loved autumn. The colours of it. The rain when you’re not out in it."

“I agree, the colours are beautiful,” Chandler said looking at the golden forest. “Aren’t you cold, though?” He asked, not being able to keep the comment to himself anymore.

“A bit, yeah,” Kent admitted. “But I’ve had worse.”

He paused and looked away. Chandler hadn’t meant to remind him of the other morning, but that was exactly what he had done, as was evidenced by his next words, and he felt guilty.

“Erica will have to teach you how to tie the knots to restrain me next month. I know how to tie knots, but I haven’t had to do it the way she does and it’s been effective so far, so you should learn from her,” Kent looked back at Chandler and if his face looked redder than it had been due to the weather, Chandler didn’t notice.

“Of course. I was planning on leaving tomorrow, but I’ll come back a few days before next full moon. Will that be okay?”

“Yeah, I’ve already told her about our plans. I’ll just tell her she needs to teach you when you come ba- oh!” Kent interrupted himself. “I wanted to warn you about this place!”

They’d been walking away from the river for a bit, moving upwards in the terrain, and Kent was now pointing to a place where it became a steep downwards hill leading down towards the river. “That’d be an unpleasant fall, so if you feel yourself walking up in the terrain, remember that this could be what you’re moving towards. The rain this time of year isn’t exactly making it easier. The ground is soft and slippery,” he said, leaning a hand up against a tree, as he moved the dirt about with his foot to get his point across. “I can tell you from experience that you don’t want to fall in,” he added looking grim.

Chandler thought of how Kent had told him he’d fallen into the river and gotten carried away and had to cling to a rock all through the night while wounded from the werewolf attack. That must be a horrible experience to recall yet again.

Chandler walked closer to give Kent a comforting pat on the shoulder and, as if to illustrate Kent’s point, lost his footing on the soft ground and wet leaves. He took a large step forward to try to regain balance, but it was down the hill and he couldn’t catch himself. He was about to take yet another step to avoid falling forwards, when Kent grabbed his arm and stopped the downwards momentum.

He stood in stunned silence for a moment, feeling both thankful and silly, when he heard Kent laughing.

“See, that’s exactly what you don’t want to do!” he said, then tugged on Chandler’s arm to help him up without slipping again.

“Thank you,” Chandler said, as made his way up again.

“People usually don’t walk here at night because of this, so I don’t think the other werewolf will be here, as it will be drawn by something to hunt, but seeing as it’s easier to get lost at night, just notice whether you’re travelling upwards, cause then you’ll be headed here or a similar place.”

“I will be sure to remember that,” Chandler said, looking down at the displaced earth from where he had tripped.

Kent led him downwards again and they ended up in the denser part of the forest where Kent pointed out where to go to get to his usual spot and where to go to get to where he’d been the last time.

They decided to walk back then, as they could see the light of day start to fade.

“Thank you for your guidance today,” Chandler said. He’d enjoyed studying the forest much more this day than he had the day before.

“Of course! If it helps you take down that bastard,” Kent said.

Chandler only hoped that he’d be able to do the job. He had still never slain a werewolf and now, instead of some village he didn’t know counting on him to do it, it was very real people. People he had come to know and liked.

Kent might’ve been feeling better, but when they came back to the village, he looked exhausted. It had been a long walk, but Chandler feared it might have drained him socially to have had to be with him. He usually kept to himself, so having to be social for that long was probably tough on him. Chandler also remembered him telling him that it wasn’t easy talking casually to someone who wanted to kill him.

They both knew that wasn’t the case now, but what if Kent still felt uncomfortable like that around him?

It didn’t settle his worries when Kent declared: “Phew, I still have to care for the horses, but then it’s straight home to relax. Didn’t think today would be so exhausting.”

Chandler told himself not to worry about it. It was only natural to want to go home and relax if you were tired. Still he couldn’t keep himself from asking: “Will I see you tomorrow before I leave?”

“Yeah, I could come by the stable. When were you thinking about leaving?”

Chandler smiled: “Early in the morning. I want to ride in as much daylight as possible.”

Kent nodded. They parted ways, but Chandler felt better, knowing he would be able to say goodbye before leaving.

Chandler met both Miles and Riley inside and informed them that he would be leaving the next day but would be back a couple of days before the next full moon.

He went to bed early, tired from being out in the cold weather all day as well and wanting to be well rested for long day of travelling ahead of him. When he awoke the next morning, he packed his things, making sure his silver belongings were packed far away, briefly thinking about how a simple handshake with Kent wearing that ring would burn his hand which made his mind wander. He had silverware at home. Everyone he knew did. At least the cutlery here was made of pewter, so Kent didn’t have a problem there, but he really had to be on the lookout, careful not to touch anything that might be silver. Chandler had paid him in copper coins so they hadn’t been any danger, but unbeknownst to him, Kent must have checked to make sure it wasn’t silver before handling them. Next time he just wouldn’t bring any silver coins so there was no way of him accidentally hurting Kent.

He had a brief breakfast, before going to the stable where he found Kent stroking Sagitta’s neck. Sagitta noticed him walk in, and Kent turned around at her signal.

“I hope you didn’t arrive too early,” Chandler said.

Kent shrugged. “I went to bed early and woke up accordingly, so it was no problem. Besides, it gave me a chance to say a proper goodbye to Sagitta now that I won’t be seeing her for a couple of weeks.” He smiled.

“Yes, I’d have liked to stay more. It’s a nice village here. Lovely nature. Good people. But we do have business to attend to. Of course, we’ll be back a little earlier this time,” Chandler said, regretting that he had to leave. He was beginning to find it much more enjoyable to stay in the village with the people he’d come to know here than back in London.

Kent’s smile dropped and he looked serious. “I just want you to know how thankful I am that you’ll be back to hunt the werewolf and to keep my sister out of danger.”

Chandler was taken aback by the seriousness of this statement. It must really mean a lot to Kent, which only added on his pressure to succeed. He gathered himself and mustered an equally serious expression as he told Kent: “Of course,” to convey that he was still as serious about his offer.

Kent smiled again, then walked over to Chandler and handed him something wrapped in cloth.

“I am not the best of cooks, but I snuck you some food from the tavern. I’ve never been to London, so I don’t know how far you have to travel, but I suspect it’s a long way if you’re leaving so early and you arrive so late, so I thought it’d be nice with some food for the road. I don’t know, maybe you already thought of that yourself, but I don’t really have much to offer, and I guess I just wanted to say tha-“

“Thank you,” Chandler interrupted before Kent talked his gift down anymore. He was both surprised and grateful for this unexpected gesture.

“There are two apples. I thought you might want to share with Sagitta,” Kent explained.

Chandler huffed. Sagitta would surely appreciate that. “Thank you,” Chandler said in a softer tone now that he didn’t have to cut through Kent’s words.

Kent smiled and ducked his head, and Chandler smiled in return. He looked at Kent until he looked back up. Then he sighed and nodded towards Sagitta.

“Well with the newly scheduled lunch break we better get going,” Chandler said.

“Of course, safe journey,” Kent said.

“Thanks.”

Chandler stretched out his hand for Kent to shake. He observed how Kent briefly looked over the hand before shaking it and was happy that his ring was at the bottom of his bag.

The journey home went well, and he and Sagitta both enjoyed their lunch break.

He spent the next month looking up his resources on werewolves whenever he had the time, but to his disappointment, he found out that most of them were only concerned with slaying werewolves. Some of them went deeper into the mythology of werewolves, but none of them mentioned any cures. He tried to see if he could procure more sources, but his success was limited and the ones he found didn’t mention anything either. One of them was by a man who claimed to have gotten to know a werewolf when it wasn’t in its werewolf state. It piqued Chandler’s interest, but he scoffed when he found out the author claimed that werewolves in their human state were feral and aggressive.

His research had turned up nothing. He could only hope that Buchan would be more successful than he had.

As another preparation for coming back he went to get a coat like his own for Kent. It was expensive, but it was November now and Kent only had that shoddy coat that wouldn’t provide any comfort from the cold. Besides Kent had given him a gift, so he was only returning the gesture. He easily had the funds to buy it, so in a way it was equal to what Kent had given him, so it was only fair, and then he didn’t have to be so cold, which Chandler felt was important. It was only gonna get colder in the following months.

The last couple of days before he had to leave again went by slowly. Chandler almost felt like saddling up Sagitta and just going, but he couldn’t just leave his responsibilities early, so he waited.

At least he avoided the rain by going the day he had originally planned. It had rained the day before and he had already prepared for a day of uncomfortable travel, but to his pleasant surprise, the sun was shining, and he could feel the warmth of its rays as he set out on his journey. The pleasant travel during the day only highlighted how cold it was as soon as the sun went down, but Chandler had his coat which went a long way of keeping him warm.

He smiled when he saw the familiar lights of the village up ahead. Sagitta recognised it as well and sped up the last bit of the way.

They arrived and Chandler found the coat before moving to take care of Sagitta. He knew Kent would be there soon to do it anyway and Chandler was excited about giving him the coat.

He didn’t have to wait long before Kent entered the stable.

“Welcome back,” he greeted with a smile. He walked up and was about to pass Chandler as he went: “I’ll take care of Sagitta and meet you inside.”

Chandler stammered out a: “Uh K-Kent, wait.”

Kent stopped in his tracks and turned around with a concerned look on his face at Chandler’s stammering. “Is something wrong?”

Chandler huffed. “Heh, no, it’s just, I have something for you.”

Kent looked thoroughly puzzled now. “You do?”

“Yes,” Chandler smiled, as he handed Kent the coat. “Here!”

Kent held out the expensive lined leather coat in front of him with a shocked expression. He shook his head. “No.”

Chandler’s smile faded. “No?”

“I can’t take this from you,” Kent said and attempted to hand back the coat, but Chandler didn’t take it.

“But I had it made for you,” Chandler said. He was sure his disappointment was written clear as day on his face.

Kent furrowed his brow, his confusion only seeming to grow. “Why? This must’ve been so expensive.”

“Well, I just, I noticed how,” he caught himself so as not to offend Kent by insulting the make of his coat. “How you seemed cold when wearing your coat, and I know this coat would be better at keeping you warm. We’re really entering the cold months after all.”

“But you really didn’t have to do this. I’d feel bad for taking something so expensive from you,” Kent said, trying to give him back the coat once more.

Chandler still didn’t take the coat but looked down at the ground sadly. He hadn’t meant for Kent to feel uncomfortable, and he couldn’t help but feel a bit hurt that his good intentions were being rejected.

“It really wasn’t meant to be a big thing. I just thought it’d help you out in the woods,” Chandler said worrying that the fact that something Kent saw as too expensive to accept wasn’t a big deal to Chandler would only serve to make Kent feel worse.

Kent didn’t reply, and Chandler eventually looked up at him. He had pulled the coat closer and was clutching it to his chest with both hands just looking at Chandler. Chandler couldn’t read his expression but eventually he spoke:

“I’m sorry. Thank you. That was very thoughtful, and I really appreciate it, but it’s also _a lot_. To me at least."

Chandler was already smiling again.

“It’s definitely not something I would ever expect to be given out of nowhere,” Kent was also smiling now. “And I’ll accept it on one condition.” His smile turned into a grin.

“Condition?” Chandler echoed a bit confused.

“That you don’t pay me for taking care of Sagitta anymore. I feel like I owe you that.”

“You don’t owe me anything.”

“Well I at least want to give you that back.”

“Alright.”

“Thank you,” Kent said sincerely.

“Will I still see you inside now that I don’t have to pay you?”

“Sure,” Kent replied and with that Chandler went inside to get some dinner.

Kent joined him, and Chandler found it nice how it was almost becoming routine for them to share a drink after he arrived at the stable.

They chatted for a while, and Chandler beamed when he at one point made a comment that had Kent chuckling into his ale. It was nice to see the man happy and perhaps make him forget all that he had on his shoulders for a moment.

Erica wasn’t working that evening, but Chandler and Kent agreed that Kent would ask her to meet Chandler in the woods the next day, so he could learn how to tie the knots properly.

They said their goodbyes, and Chandler turned to his ale. There was still a bit left. He’d been nursing the last mug he’d gotten while he had told a story.

“He only really comes in here like that when you’re around,” Riley commented.

Chandler looked up at her. She was staring at him with a grin on her face.

“Are you sure you’re just back here cause the full moon is coming up and you need to “hunt a werewolf”, or is it just an excuse to see him?”

Chandler startled, wondering for a moment if she knew that Kent was a werewolf, and he wasn’t really there to hunt him, but then he realised that she probably didn’t. She’d most likely have done something about it or talked to Kent directly in the best-case scenario, not ask him a random question like whether or not he was there to hunt a werewolf.

“Of course, I’m here to hunt a werewolf. I’m a werewolf hunter,” he replied.

“Alright. If you say so,” she said and shrugged.

He frowned at her reaction. Maybe his lack of success the past two months had made her think he was a fraud. Oh well, he’d hopefully have a slain werewolf to show after the next full moon. It still didn’t explain why she would think he was there for Kent though. He didn’t ponder about it for long. He had a day of tying knots and hopefully learning about cures from Buchan the day after, so he finished his ale and went to bed.


	9. Chapter 9

The evening had gotten a bit late, but Chandler was up bright and early to meet Erica in the woods. It was a crisp morning and the sun was out, so while it was cold, the weather couldn’t be better. Learning to tie knots in the pouring rain would not have been a pleasant experience, but he supposed it was valuable to learn as well. It had rained during the last full moon. He could only hope the good weather would stay until the next night.

He wandered a bit into the woods. Kent had mentioned a spot that he’d shown him last month while they’d been out in the woods. When he arrived, Erica was already standing there, some heavy rope coiled at her feet.

“Good morning,” Chandler greeted.

“Morning,” she replied. She still hadn’t fully warmed up to him, but he supposed he hadn’t seen her much since he went to visit Kent after the hunt.

“I hope I haven’t kept you waiting too long.”

“No, it’s alright. I just like to be early.”

Chandler nodded. That was good. He stopped next to her and looked expectantly down at the rope. She sighed.

“I would be lying if I said I wasn’t wary about teaching you how to do this,” she said as she grabbed a coil of rope and handed it to him.

Chandler didn’t respond. He could see where she was coming from. She continued:

“If something happens to him, I don’t care who you are or what your social standing is, but I _will _be coming after you,” she stared at him unblinkingly, while holding the rope in a way that vaguely resembled a noose.

Chandler met her gaze calmly and gave a small nod of acknowledgement. She softened, satisfied that her point had come across, and started teaching him how to tie the rope properly.

He followed her instructions until he could do it by memory. Their conversation was limited to instructions and questions about tying the rope, until Chandler finally asked:

“If you don’t trust me with this, then how come you’re teaching me?”

Erica scoffed. “Because of Kent of course.”

Chandler furrowed his brow. “I thought you _didn’t_ want to teach me because you were worried about him.”

“That’s true, but I mean, because he trusts you. Completely.”

Oh. Chandler was happy to hear it.

Erica stared at his smile for a moment.

“He told me about your gift yesterday. He was very happy about it.”

“He was?” Chandler’s smile widened.

“Yeah. That was a big gesture. I suppose this is too,” she gestured towards the rope. “Why are you doing it? Is it just to make yourself feel less guilty about going hunting for him or is there some other reason behind it?”

“No, I mean, I do feel guilty, but it’s not just cause of the guilt. I don’t like it, seeing him uncomfortable in the cold, and he has to be out in the cold a lot, so a good coat is helpful.”

Chandler was surprised when Erica actually smiled at him.

“You don’t want him to be uncomfortable in the cold,” she repeated and suddenly he felt an urge to clarify.

“Well, I don’t like seeing him uncomfortable in general. I don’t like it when he’s feeling bad about what he’s had to go through, and I don’t like it that he feels like he has to hide away from people he used to talk to, but I can’t buy him anything to help with that.”

Erica’s smile turned into open mouthed surprise, and Chandler felt the need to clarify further:

“Not that he needs me to buy anything to help him. I think he’s so strong for going through what he’s done and not cracking, and for fighting his werewolf-self month after month to protect people. I just hope I can do a little bit to provide any comfort, like with the coat, because-“ Because I like to see him smile. Because his smile lights up his face and reaches his beautiful eyes, and I like his lovely curls and- _Oh._

Suddenly it dawned on him what Riley had meant the evening before. He really liked spending time with Kent, but he hadn’t realised, and apparently it had been obvious to Riley and who knows who else. Did Kent know? Did he feel the same way?

He could feel himself blushing.

Erica smiled and shook her head in disbelief.

“Wow. Well, I’m not gonna lie. That rant there makes me trust you a lot more with this.”

Chandler laughed awkwardly, feeling embarrassed about the fact that he’d all but confessed his love for her brother. He caught himself, before he could ask her, if she knew how Kent felt about him.

She patted him on the shoulder. He recoiled a bit from the sudden physical interaction, but he could appreciate it as a friendly gesture. She either didn’t seem to notice or care about his reaction and just nodded towards the rope that they had put in coils and hung around some branches.

“We’ll just leave them here, so you won’t have to be seen carrying lots of rope out of the village tomorrow night. We’re far enough away that nobody should come across them to take them before tomorrow, but if you should be unlucky, Kent’ll know where to get more.”

Chandler nodded in response.

“I should get back to the tavern. Good luck to you both, tomorrow. I really hope you find the bastard who hurt my brother and end it.”

Chandler stood up straight and gravely responded: “I will do my best.” His best felt ever slimmer as more people he cared about were counting on him to do his job right.

Erica smiled at him once more: “Thank you.”

They said their goodbyes.

Chandler had planned to go straight to Buchan afterwards, but he stayed in the forest for a bit, aimlessly wandering as his mind buzzed with his newfound realisation.

He hadn’t felt this way in a long time, but now that he’d realised, it was clear as day just how much he liked Kent. He couldn’t tell Kent. He didn’t even know if Kent saw him as a friend yet, but whatever their relationship was at this point, he didn’t want to risk it by adding these feelings into the mix.

A knot of fear tightened in his stomach. The twins seemed to tell each other everything. What if Erica told him? What if he felt uncomfortable by it?

Oh no. Chandler had already brought enough worry and discomfort into Kent’s life. He didn’t want to bring more. He just wanted to help, which he wasn’t doing by wandering aimlessly around in the forest. He turned around and walked back to find Buchan at his study. He was holding out hope that Buchan had succeeded where he had not.

Buchan quickly invited him inside when he arrived.

“It was a really tough job, you gave me, but very interesting to research,” Buchan said as they entered his study.

“Did you find anything?” Chandler immediately blurted out, eager to hear the results of Buchan’s research.

“Well I found sources that were definitely about different diseases that people have at one point or another branded as werewolfism, and people have indeed tried to come up with ways to cure them,” he paused for dramatic effect.

Chandler impatiently motioned for Buchan to continue, but Buchan didn’t respond to it. “And?” He tried.

Buchan sighed. “Most of it is the usual. Bloodletting. The clueless people’s solution to everything. It cannot be good for you.”

Chandler had trouble hiding his disappointment at that answer, but he couldn’t say that he disagreed with Buchan about the bloodletting. It had always seemed off to him.

“You said most of it?” Chandler prompted, holding out a last bit of hope.

“The others are just as unpleasant as the first. Some suggest drinking vinegar or inducing nausea, though I suppose drinking the vinegar would do the trick.”

Chandler looked horrified at the thought. It all sounded very unpleasant and was definitely not something he’d even begin to think about putting Kent through.

“If you’re out to help people. I don’t think this is the way,” Buchan said.

“Have you looked at everything there is to look at? Is there anywhere else for you to look?”

“I’m afraid we don’t have much in way of written knowledge here in this village. I try to gather as much as I can for my little archive here, but this was all I could find on the subject. I am sorry I couldn’t be of more help. You don’t have to pay me, since I didn’t find what you were looking for.”

“I’d like to reimburse you for your time spent anyway,” Chandler said. He quickly handed Buchan a handful of coins, not caring about the exact amount. Buchan had barely politely tried to decline the money, let alone thanked him, before Chandler was out of the door again.

He couldn’t help but feel like he’d failed Kent.

He’d really held out hope that he could’ve continued to Kent’s house and told him the great news after visiting Buchan. To tell him, he didn’t have to endure the fear, worry, discomfort and pain anymore. He didn’t realise just how hopeful he had been until he felt it vanquished.

He stood there in the middle of the street, wondering whether or not to go tell Kent. In the end he decided not to. Why even bring the possibility of a cure up, only to immediately tell him that there is none?

He went back and ordered a late lunch from Erica, who noticed the change in his mood. She asked him if something was wrong, but he brushed it off. He could sense it made her suspicious, but he couldn’t tell her about it either. It would just make its way back to Kent.

He retreated to his room where he spent the rest of the day. He tried to get a good evening’s rest, but his sour mood and the pressure of the upcoming night was starting to get to him.

He knew a good night’s sleep was important for his job, but his mind was running amok with thoughts and feelings.

The moon shone in through his window, and it was with dismay that he watched the light travel through his room as it made its journey across the sky.

At last he fell asleep and awoke to a sunlit room instead.

He wasn’t as well rested as he could have been, but he hoped he’d be able to catch some sleep in the afternoon, as he’d done before. At least the amount of sleep he’d had had been enough to quell the emotions and thoughts that had been raging in his mind, if only a bit.

His stomach growled, and he finally left the bed, and headed down for some breakfast.

Riley smiled when she saw him.

He greeted her and ordered some food.

“Up to anything last night?”

“Not really,” Chandler replied, wondering why she was asking. Perhaps it was cause he looked tired.

“Kent was in here asking for you. Sadly, had to tell him you weren’t here,” Riley explained.

Oh. That was why she had asked.

Chandler felt conflicted. He couldn’t help but smile at the thought of Kent asking for him. He just hoped that Kent didn’t think he was avoiding him.

Well, he had been. In a way. Between his realisation of his emotions and the feeling of failure, he would have been a mess if he had to talk to Kent. But now he had to pull himself together. His job on the upcoming full moon was important, and he had to be at his best.

“He’s probably out in the stable, if you want to go talk to him,” Riley said with a wink. Chandler blushed, realising yet again that Riley had read him even before he had realised himself.

She left him to himself after that, thankfully, and Chandler waited what he thought was a decent period of time, before he went out to seek Kent in the stable, not wanting to run off eagerly as soon as Riley had mentioned it.

She’d been right. Kent was indeed at the stable, tending to some horse, Chandler didn’t know. Sagitta looked content, he briefly registered, but his focus was on Kent.

His heart beat faster as soon as he saw him. He took a deep breath to calm himself down. He was just there to let Kent know he hadn’t abandoned him or their plans, since his absence the day before might have suggested that.

Kent turned around.

“Chandler!” He said, his face lighting up in a beautiful smile. Oh no. Chandler could feel himself starting to break already.

Why couldn’t Buchan just have found a cure? Why did Kent have to carry the burden of that curse indefinitely? He was such a good man. He didn’t deserve it.

He barely managed to give Kent a sad smile back. Kent frowned.

Chandler’s mouth had gone dry all of a sudden and he tried swallowing. Kent walked closer.

“Chandler?” he said again, looking worried.

Chandler wanted to settle his worry, but he felt guilty at his failure and instead of saying anything that might put Kent at ease, he croaked out:

“I’m sorry.”

Kent instinctively curled defensively in on himself. “Why?” he asked, his tone wary.

Chandler panicked. He was about to undo all of the trust he had built up if he didn’t explain himself. Kent looked like he was expecting a betrayal, and while Chandler felt guilt at not being able to find a cure, having Kent think that, was much worse than the truth.

“When I was home I tried to see if anyone had written anything about something that could cure the werewolf curse, but I found nothing. I asked Buchan if he would try to see if there was anything written about cures for the diseases that have been described as werewolfism, cause maybe there was something there, but it was all- it was not- there was nothing. I’m so sorry, Kent. I tried,” Chandler said. His cheeks felt wet.

Kent’s body language had changed completely. It was open and his facial expression was one of pure awe, before it lit up in a surprised smile.

This caught Chandler off guard. Did he not hear what he just said? Oh no, did he misunderstand? Had he just brought Kent false hope? He didn’t know if he could live with himself, if he had brought Kent false hope, and he now had to crush it.

“Thank you,” Kent said.

Thank you? Oh no, he definitely misunderstood. Chandler just had to rip it off like a band aid and tell him the truth.

“No, Kent. I’m sorry. I have to be clear. There is no cure. I failed,” Chandler looked down in shame.

“Chandler,” Kent said softly. He reached out towards him and touched his arm gently.

Chandler looked at it, but he didn’t recoil at the unexpected touch.

“Even if there is no cure,” he paused. “Just the fact that you would even think to look something like that up. To put so much effort into it. Thank you.”

Chandler closed his eyes as the relief he felt at Kent’s words sent fresh tears down his cheeks. His upper body shook as he tried to draw in uneven breaths. 

“But I brought up the possibility and immediately took it away. I didn’t mean to say anything. I just- I had to apologise,” he managed to get out between his sobs.  
  
Chandler finally looked back at Kent to see that he too was crying. “Kent!” He said in shock, a new apology was on his lips already.

Kent grabbed his arm tighter. “It’s alright,” he said as his golden eyes stared up at him and Chandler reached out towards Kent, to hold onto him as well, and Kent stepped into his arms.

Chandler’s heart was beating out of his chest as he embraced Kent, clinging onto him, feeling like he was taking the comfort for himself, when it was Kent who should be comforted. Kent let go of his arm and instead pressed both of his hands up against Chandler’s chest as Chandler held him close. Chandler feared that Kent was gonna push himself away, but Kent stayed enveloped in his arms, his forehead lightly pressed against him, until Chandler’s breathing calmed.

Chandler wasn’t sure how they had gotten there, but he didn’t want it to end. One of them had to break it off eventually. He feared that it would be Kent, that he would be making him too uncomfortable, but he selfishly couldn’t break it off himself.

Kent’s hands suddenly grabbed at the fabric of Chandler’s shirt, and Chandler looked down at him. Kent looked up and their eyes met. He looked even more beautiful up close. Kent’s eyes searched his for a moment, before he reached up to kiss him.

Chandler couldn’t comprehend how it had come to this. He’d only just realised his feelings for Kent the day before, yet here they were.

After the initial shock, he returned the kiss, deciding not to care why in the moment and just let it blissfully happen.

They broke off. Chandler’s arms not as tightly wrapped around Kent, but resting on his shoulders, and Kent pushed off of Chandler’s chest a bit, so they stood further apart.

Chandler could barely meet Kent’s eyes again. He was blushing and grinning from ear to ear, but then he heard Kent giggle and looked up to see Kent’s face lit up with more joy than he’d ever seen before, and his heart soared.

They stood there grinning and giggling until Chandler could no longer retain the question: “Why?”

“It was just such a sweet gesture, and the fact that you were so distraught about it not turning up anything. That doesn’t matter. Just the fact that you thought of it. That you cared so much. I was already taken aback when you suggested you would come with me on the next full moon and save my sister from having to go out there while the other werewolf is still around. That you would try to kill it. It means a lot.”

Chandler was absolutely overjoyed to hear it. He couldn’t believe that Kent felt that way, and ever since he’d visited him and offered his help on the upcoming full moon. And to think how many times he’d worried about what Kent thought of him since that.

But, at the thought of the upcoming full moon, suddenly reality grabbed a hold of him again. The full moon was tonight. They had a rough and difficult night ahead of them, and they needed to agree on a time to set out.

“The full moon is tonight,” Chandler changed the subject, his smile giving way to a more serious expression.

Kent solemnly nodded. “Yes. Meet me in the woods at dusk?”

“Won’t it be dark before we get there?” Chandler asked worriedly.

“Yes, but the transformation doesn’t happen as soon as it gets dark. We worried about that as well when the days got darker, but all it led to was a longer wait.”

“Alright. I’ll meet you there,” Chandler said, and gave Kent’s shoulder a reassuring squeeze. He briefly wondered if now would be a good time for a parting kiss, but the mood had shifted. Kent’s mind was back at the grim reality of what was to come; what he had to endure. It wasn’t fair, and Chandler once again wished that he hadn’t failed in finding a cure.

Their subdued farewells were very far from the giddy elation they’d both just felt, but still the butterflies in Chandler’s stomach were fluttering, as he made his way back to his room, if not to sleep, then at least gather the most of his strength for the night that was to come.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Only one chapter to go now :O I have a feeling it's gonna be longer than average though, so yay!  
Thank you so much to the people who have left kudos and comments! You're awesome :D
> 
> Edit: Real life has hit in a bad way, so the last chapter will be delayed. Don't know when I'll be able to finish it, sorry!


	10. Chapter 10

Chandler hadn’t slept in the afternoon either, but at least lying down and relaxing was also a way of gathering energy, as was the hearty meal he had before heading out to the forest. Just as he was walking out the door, he ran into Miles who was only just heading inside for dinner. He looked down at the crossbow in Chandler’s hands.

“Are you already heading out? That’s earlier than the last couple of times, innit?”

“Yeah, well it gets darker faster this time of year,” Chandler replied.

Miles raised an eyebrow.

“Y’know, I _was_ gonna question your werewolf theories, but it’s all the same to me. If you want to walk around even longer now that it’s colder out, you do you.”

He shook his head but smiled warmly at Chandler.

“Just a question though. I know, I know I always talk about my scepticism and it’s annoying. I shouldn’t bug you so much just cause we think differently, but I just have to ask: How many times are you gonna come around here to try to search for this wolf?”

“As many times as it takes,” Chandler answered dead serious. He knew the other werewolf was out there, and while his ability to track it down and kill it might fail on this full moon, he wasn’t going back on his promise to Kent.

Again, Miles looked surprised, but his smile didn’t fade. “Alright, well in that case Judy asked me to ask you over for dinner sometime.”

“Oh, thank you,” Chandler said.

“Yeah, so you survive the night, alright?” Miles said in a cheerful tone, but it didn’t quite mask the underlying worry. “It’s gonna be tough to see anything out there tonight.”

“I will try my best,” Chandler assured him. Miles nodded, and Chandler exited the tavern.

As soon as he stepped outside, he could see what Miles had meant. A mist was hanging low to the ground, illuminated by the moon. The moonshine only served to make the mist light up white and make it harder to see through. It wasn’t dense as fog, and at least Chandler didn’t have to worry about finding his way through the forest on his own. Not for the first part of the night anyway, and maybe the mist would’ve cleared by then. All he had to do was find the spot a little into the woods where he and Erica had left the coils of rope.

He didn’t span his crossbow before entering the forest this time. There was no need when the werewolf wouldn’t turn until later.

He hadn’t walked far into the forest before he saw a light orange glow through the mist. It was in the general direction he was walking, but he approached it carefully, not sure if anyone else was out in the forest tonight. When he got closer, he could see it was Kent carrying a lantern. He was happy to see Kent wearing his new warm coat.

“Kent!” he called out so his sudden presence wouldn’t startle him.

“Good evening,” Kent replied. He was smiling, but it seemed a bit forced. He seemed tense and Chandler could absolutely understand why.

“Aren’t you worried that thing will call attention to you?” Chandler said as he nodded towards the lantern. He noted that Kent was already carrying the rope and held out his hand to take some of it. Kent let the coil slide off of his arm.

“No one can see it from any paths, so it should be alright. Besides even though the sky is clear, and the moon is bright tonight, it’s nice to have some light,” Kent said, and started leading the way.

Chandler quickly agreed. He’d avoided bringing a lantern the other times so as not to draw the attention of a werewolf, but they didn’t need to worry about that at the moment, and the light made the forest seem less threatening. It didn’t do much in way of visibility as it lit up the mist, but its soft glow spread around them. Having company was also a nice change from the previous nights in the forest, even if Kent was mostly quiet.

Chandler glanced towards him after a particularly long bout of silence. He looked lost in thought – worried. Chandler didn’t know whether saying anything to distract him would be helpful, but he didn’t know what to say anyway, so he kept quiet. Instead he switched the coil of rope over to the arm, he was carrying the crossbow in. He noticed Kent glancing towards him at the movement, but he didn’t say anything. Then, with his now free hand, he reached down to gently grab Kent’s hand. Kent’s head turned, his eyes cast down towards their linked hands, before looking up at Chandler.

Chandler smiled at him and gave his hand a reassuring squeeze. Kent gave him a small smile in return before holding onto Chandler’s hand just a little tighter. The silence felt more comfortable after that.

They made their way through the forest faster than Chandler could have done on his own, and they soon reached the dense part of the forest. There wasn’t room to walk side by side here and Kent let go and walked in front of Chandler to light the way. The lantern really made a difference here where the moonlight was obscured by the evergreen trees. If Chandler had brought one last month, he might have not gotten lost and accidentally found Kent.

Kent led them to the place where Chandler had found him on the first full moon. He set the lantern on the ground, and went to take off his coat, but he paused and sighed. Chandler noticed Kent’s head move in his direction.

“Is that the tree?” he asked and pointed towards the largest tree around. Kent nodded, and Chandler pointedly walked over to it with his back to Kent as he began to loop the rope around the tree giving Kent his privacy.

It didn’t take long to do, but he kept pretending to be working on it with his back turned until Kent came over. He had the coat in front of him like a blanket and sat down with it draped over him like Chandler had done with his own coat the month before. He inhaled sharply as he sat up against the cold bark of the tree.

He extended his arm for Chandler to take and tie the rope around.

“Thank you for doing this. I’m sorry I haven’t been the best company,” Kent said.

“It’s okay. You don’t have to make conversation for my sake.”

Kent exhaled shakily. “Thank you.”

Chandler almost finished tying up the rope, but he kept it slack, so Kent didn’t have to sit with his arms stretched uncomfortably back and that he might keep them underneath the warm coat. They were already covered in goose bumps.

He could feel as much as see the frown on Kent’s face when he stepped back from the tree with a sense of finality about it.

“I don’t think this is gonna keep me trapped for long as a werewolf,” he said, his voice shaky from the cold.

“I know, but you said you could feel when you were about to change, right?” Chandler said.

“Yeah?”

“So, I thought that’d be enough time to tighten it and secure it, but in the meantime, you don’t have so sit so uncomfortably.”

“Ah,” Kent said. He was about to say something else, but he quickly clamped his teeth shut to stop them from chattering. The coat could only do so much as he sat on the cold hard and humid ground. Chandler already felt cold, and he was fully dressed and standing so he could move about.

Even in the low visibility, he could see the form of Kent shivering. It only got worse as time passed, and Chandler started to worry.

“Kent?”

“Hm?” Kent responded through closed teeth.

“It’s really cold. I’m worried about you getting ill,” Chandler said.

Kent exhaled. “N-no, it’s okay,” his teeth started chattering as soon as he wasn’t forcibly clamping them shut. “If I c-can only be k-killed by silver, then being c-c-cold should just be really uncomfortable.” He shut his teeth forcibly again after speaking. ‘Really uncomfortable’ was certainly true.

Chandler frowned. “I just don’t want you to test that theory.”

“Hm?”

Instead of explaining, Chandler opened his coat and sat down next to Kent. It was immediately more unpleasant as he sat down on the cold and damp ground. He grabbed one side of the coat and held it out towards Kent. “Please, can we not test out that theory tonight.” Even if hypothermia wasn’t going to kill him, Chandler just wanted to ease some of that discomfort.

Kent didn’t say or do anything at first, just stared at Chandler’s invitation, but then he moved a bit to the side, so Chandler could move the coat behind him. He drew him a bit closer as his arm wrapped around him. Kent’s body was freezing cold and he was shivering badly up against him. They did their best to envelop themselves in the two coats. Kent curled up underneath his own coat and nestled himself up against Chandler’s chest and Chandler just wrapped both his arms around him. Chandler enjoyed being so close to him. It wasn’t perfectly comfortable, but it was cosy and soon Kent’s shivering diminished.

“Chandler,” Kent said, his voice no longer shaking.

“Yes?”

“This is nice.”

“Yes,” Chandler agreed, but he could tell there was something else weighing on Kent’s mind. Kent didn’t say anything else and Chandler just held him closer until he was ready. A loud sigh a little while after told him that Kent was about to speak again.

“After you tighten the rope, will you please leave? I know you’ve seen me change before but…” He burrowed his head further into Chandler’s chest, muffling the last words. “I don’t feel comfortable being seen like that. It’s painful and… unpleasant.”

“Of course,” Chandler said. He waited until Kent shifted his head again and leant down to kiss his forehead. It caught Kent by surprise, and he let out a small chuckle. Chandler decided to continue in this lighter vein.

“You know, I’ve been thinking. Maybe I could find a house somewhere. Somewhere that’s close to here but not near anything else. Then we could go there during full moons, and you wouldn’t have to sit out here in the cold. It’s only going to get colder these next couple of months.”

“A house?!” Kent repeated incredulously.

“Yes,” Chandler replied simply.

“Why? Were you thinking of moving?”

“Perhaps, but it’s also just the best solution I can think of. I’m sure we could have some sort of structure as strong as a tree for safety.”

“You can’t get a new house just for my sake!” Kent protested; he’d pulled away from Chandler a bit to be able to look up at him.

“Why not?” Chandler replied completely serious. Kent couldn’t spend the night out here like this when the frost began to settle in, and this had been the only way he could think to help keep him as comfortable as possible while also keeping him secure and not in a place where other people might find him.

“No. You can’t. That’s too much,” he sounded uncomfortable and Chandler didn’t press it further. That hadn’t been his intent. He was glad when Kent snuggled closer to him again, but his heartrate picked up when Kent spoke once more:

“I think it might be better if you just go back to the town-“

Chandler was immediately worried this was a reaction to him coming on too strong by mentioning the house. It was too big of a gesture. He forgot how uncomfortable it could be to other people when that much money was brought into the picture.

“-after you’ve tightened the rope. You’re safer there.”

Chandler breathed out in relief.

“What? Don’t you trust me to tie the knots?” Chandler smiled, but Kent was just as serious as before in his response.

“No, it’s not that. It’s the other werewolf. I thought this would be a good thing. That you would take the place here instead of my sister and I didn’t have to worry as much, but I really like you, Chandler, and I don’t want to see you hurt.”

“Oh,” Chandler was caught between flattered and confused. “You know, I _am_ a werewolf hunter. I have my crossbow with me. I’ll be fine,” he tried reassuring him, but Kent shook his head.

“The first time you saw me, you froze in fear.”

“Yes,” Chandler was aware of that. It wasn’t his proudest moment. He tried to justify it. “But if it hadn’t been for that moment, I would have shot you before I noticed you were restrained.”

“And I’m happy that’s the case, I really am, but if I hadn’t been restrained in that moment, you would have been dead by freezing up like that. You won’t have that kind of chance with the other werewolf. I’m just worried.”

Chandler knew he was right, but he also knew what a werewolf looked like up close now, and he felt he was better prepared should he come face to face with the other werewolf.

“I’ll be careful, but I won’t go back on my promise,” Chandler said.

Kent nodded. “Okay, then promise me you’ll survive.”

“I promise,” Chandler said. It didn’t feel as genuine as his usual promises as it might be out of his control, but he was going to try his best.

Time passed and the mist was turning into fog. Chandler ached from sitting in the same position on the ground for so long and it only made him empathise even more with Kent.

He’d begun to wonder just how long they’d been sitting there when Kent gasped and bent forward.

“Kent?” Chandler reached out to touch his back.

“It’s starting. You need to tighten the rope now.”

Chandler shot up from the ground. His joints were aching, but not knowing how much time he had, he went straight to tightening the ropes and tying them securely.

Kent had tossed aside the coat so it wouldn’t be affected by his transformation. He’d tried to do it semi-neatly, but it was evident by his increasing gasping and moaning that he was in pain and he couldn’t quite focus on it. It didn’t help that he sounded pained when Chandler tightened the rope. He was about to make it a bit looser, but Kent told him that he needed to tighten it more and he complied.

He didn’t like leaving him there in pain, but he’d said, he’d leave before Kent started to change, so he grabbed his crossbow, and quickly turned to bid Kent farewell.

“Be safe!” Kent said gritting his teeth.

“Same to you!” Chandler said before turning around to start the hunt. He walked a bit away from Kent before getting his things in order; he closed his coat, made sure he had his silver dagger ready, spanned his crossbow and loaded it.

Not knowing where to look for the werewolf he just started walking in the direction, they’d come from. At least he thought that was the direction he was walking in.

The fog was thick as soup, and even though the moon was often free of cover, it only served to turn everything into a ghostly veil that he couldn’t see beyond.

The fog seemed to make everything extra quiet. Chandler was quickly unsettled in a way he hadn’t been when he and Kent had walked side by side. Any noise and he stopped to scan the area dreading what he might see, envisioning a huge shadow behind the white curtain of fog, but there was nothing.

He moved on and despite trying to get to know the woods better, he realised that he was lost. He told himself that it didn’t matter. This werewolf would not be tied to one place. It would be out hunting, and it could be anywhere.

He continued on and realised that he was ascending. He suddenly became extra aware of his footing. In this low visibility he’d have trouble seeing when it started to descend again. He stopped to listen and now that he was aware of it instead of just regarding it as background noise, he could tell that he was close to the river. He’d have to turn back somehow and walk down and away from the river.

As his mind was distracted and he was looking down at his feet, he was suddenly overcome with an intense fear, and he threw himself to the side out of reflex, a yelp escaping him as he did so. He landed roughly on his shoulder and slid down the sloped ground, until he came to a rest. At the same moment a large beast landed with a thud at the very place he’d been standing. It turned around to face him; its giant shadow even more opposing in the fog than Chandler had imagined. Its eyes reflected the light of the moon. Two orbs shining eerily as it turned to look at him.  
  
Chandler got up as fast as he could. He aimed the crossbow, remembering that he didn’t have time to freeze in fear, and shot at the werewolf.

_Thunk_

The bolt had embedded itself in a tree. He’d been too fast. Too careless. And now all he had to defend himself was the dagger. There was not enough time to span the crossbow again.

The werewolf’s head shot up in the direction of the bolt, now aware that he had something to defend himself with. It growled as it tensed up for another attack.

Chandler dove behind a tree so he wasn’t in a direct line of sight of it. He could hear it approaching and he took off trying to find the path with the least amount of space, so the werewolf couldn’t fit through. As he forced himself through some undergrowth, he heard the giant footfalls of the werewolf charging at him. It tore through the shrubbery, getting slightly caught in it, but it didn’t care. Its prey was right ahead of it.

A giant paw hit Chandler’s leg and he fell to the ground yelling out in pain. He turned around and slashed the beast with his silver dagger.

It recoiled with a yelp and snarled furiously. Chandler got up and was happy to note that he could still stand on his leg. It had only been a scratch. He continued on using the same tactic of taking the narrowest of paths. He was slower, but so was the werewolf. If only he could get far enough away that he would have time to span his crossbow again and get another shot at killing it. Fighting it up close with the dagger wasn’t likely to go in his favour.

As long as it continued like this, _he _was the prey and not the hunter.

The werewolf was soon upon him again. Even injured, it was faster than him. His tactic didn’t work. He could tell it was tensing up for another attack.

He turned around to face it and held his dagger up high. It was unlikely that he’d survive this, but if he could strike the werewolf with the dagger when it attacked him, he’d at least have done his job. He would only be keeping one of his promises to Kent, but one was better than none, which was what he was sure would happen if they continued this song and dance of him avoiding it until it eventually caught up with him from behind.

The werewolf jumped.

This was it.

Chandler prepared for the impact, his eyes closing out of reflex. He thrusts out the blade, but the impact never came. Instead he heard a loud thud and a yelp, and then the snarling and growling intensified.

Chandler opened his eyes to find another large shadow in the fog. Could it be?

“Kent?” Chandler said, but the beasts were locked in battle and didn’t take notice of him.

He heard the growls and whines of their fighting and realised this might buy him enough time. He spanned the crossbow and found cover, but when he looked back at the fight, he couldn’t tell who was who.

The fighting was violent, and the beasts clashed. Once in a while Chandler was sure he could spot the midnight fur of Kent, but then the battle shifted, and he lost track of them again. He couldn’t shoot as long as there was a chance of him hitting Kent, but a particularly loud yelp had him scared of how hurt Kent was getting in this battle.

The beasts had retreated from their fighting and were now encircling each other, and Chandler was desperately trying to recognise one from the other now that they weren’t interlocked in battle, but they’d taken the battle further from him and from this distance it was impossible to tell them apart.

One of them charged and then from one moment to the next they were both out of sight. Chandler cautiously got out from his cover and crept forward.

He could hear the snarls and yelps further off.

Then he realised. They’d fallen down the hill towards the river. He slowly inched closer upwards until he reached the steep descend towards the river. He could see the shadows moving far beneath him.

He had to get closer. The descend was painfully slow, but he couldn’t risk falling. His heart hurt every time he heard one of the wolves yelp or whine. It didn’t have to be Kent. It could be the other werewolf, but he couldn’t help but fear the worst, especially when he could see one of them towered over the other. A soft whining noise was heard with every breath the losing wolf took.

Chandler whistled and two sets of ears perked up. The wolf who had the upper hand stared up at him. He shot at it, deliberately missing just in case it was Kent, and quickly started spanning the crossbow again.

It had worked. The wolf saw him as a bigger threat because of the silver and was now slowly creeping up the hill towards him. He was in an advantageous position standing above it and he aimed carefully at it. All he needed now was to know if it was Kent or the other werewolf currently stalking towards him.

It went slow at first, but as soon as he had the crossbow trained on it, it sped up sensing the danger. Chandler stood his ground, waiting until it was close enough for him to see its fur in the moonlight. He’d hoped it would be more slowed down on the muddy ground but its claws dug into the ground and it advanced towards him at a breakneck speed.

Closer

And closer

Until

It was almost upon him, but Chandler saw the brown fur in the moonlight. He pulled the trigger and this time his aim was true. It was sent rolling back down the hill as the silver pierced its chest.

Chandler grabbed onto a tree until his knuckles were white. His knees were shaking, and he could barely stand up.

Neither could the werewolf. It howled painfully before collapsing.

Chandler was panting hard from the adrenaline. He was still clinging to the tree when he noticed movement down below. He looked towards the collapsed werewolf fearing that it might not have been enough, but it lay still.

It was the other werewolf. Kent.

He was climbing up the hill towards Chandler and Chandler was filled with a new dread. He couldn’t kill Kent, but he couldn’t let Kent have his murder on his hands either. He let go of the crossbow to rid himself of the weight and started climbing.

The ground was soft, his legs were hurting and shaking, and the climb was slow. Too slow.

He could hear the werewolf close behind him and before he had a chance to react he felt its weight upon him as he was pressed into the soft ground. He could feel its warm breath on the back of his neck.

“Kent!” he grunted. He almost couldn’t get a word out with the weight on top of him.

He turned his head as best as he could and saw the terrifying wolf, black as night, closer than he ever had before, its teeth were bared. Its breath foul and warm against his face as it snarled at him.

He gasped. “Kent!” his voice was smaller. Pleading.

The wolf blinked. Its nostrils flared. It whimpered as it removed its paw from his chest and backed away from him.

As it backed up, it was still staring at him intensely, and all Chandler dared to do was remain still and gasp for air. The wolf kept backing up until it finally bowed its head down low and it turned away, looking back at him briefly, before it stalked off into the fog and Chandler could no longer see it.

He fought to get up and gently ventured down to find his crossbow again. It had gotten stuck in the mud and hadn’t fallen down the slope, so it was easy enough to find.  
  
Afterwards he decided to try to find the place where Kent had been tied up again. He knew he was out there in the forest and the fact that he had managed to back away from him wouldn’t guarantee his safety, but he couldn’t leave Kent alone in the woods. He was gonna go and find his clothes and hopefully he would be able to find him in the morning.

He briefly rested on top of a tree that had fallen over once he reached the top of the hill. This high above the ground, the fog had turned to mist and the longer he sat there, the clearer the night became under the full moon. This helped him when he had to find his way back. Before he knew it, he could see the soft glow light of the lantern up ahead.

He arrived to find the rope lying on the ground around the tree. It wasn’t broken. His knots might not have held up as well as he’d hoped. It had saved his life, but it could just as well have ended in tragedy.

It still might, Chandler realised with a shock. He could only hope no one was out and about this night, so Kent didn’t have another attack weighing on his conscience.

Chandler untied the rope and coiled it up to hang on the tree. He then gathered the clothes that had gotten damp and cold during the night. Among it the coat that while cold and damp was in a much better state than the muddied and torn one Chandler was currently wearing. His coat was still warmer from his body heat, so he kept it on. He grabbed the lantern and started walking.

Staying still for too long wasn’t a possibility in this cold. He’d rested enough and he needed to keep going, so he headed in the direction of the village, hoping he’d find Kent there in the light of dawn.

Eventually the moon set and the night became darker for a short while before the first rays of the sun began to light the sky.

Chandler rested his back against a tree and kept the weight off of his wounded leg for a moment as he scanned the forest for any sign of Kent. He couldn’t find any and it was too close to the village for him to call out his name, so he walked into the woods again. He was exhausted, but he wouldn’t be able to find rest before knowing whether Kent was okay or not, anyway.

The further he walked without seeing Kent, the more his stomach was in knots.

He called out his name as he walked along, but no answer came.

He was just about to turn around and return to right outside the village again, figuring that walking further into the woods might just result in him walking further away from Kent when he saw movement in the distance.

It was instantly recognisable as Kent.

He was limping slowly along, steadying himself with a hand on the trees he passed. He was wounded and bloodied from the fight with the werewolf, and his feet were torn up from walking through the undergrowth.

Chandler’s energy was renewed at this sight and he hurried over to Kent. Kent smiled at him tiredly as he came close. He took a step away from the tree he’d steadied himself against and collapsed into Chandler’s arms. This close to him, Chandler realised that his skin was blue from the cold and he quickly wrapped Kent’s coat around him, before opening his own coat and pulling him close to share the body heat. He didn’t care about the blood or the mud, just that Kent was safe.

“You kept your promise,” Kent wrapped his arms around Chandler leaning heavier on him.

“Both of them. Thanks to you!”

They stood up against each other for a moment, before Chandler realised, they had to move on. He was exhausted as well, and they had to make it back to the village.

He helped Kent put on his shoes. It looked painful, but they judged it was better than to walk further through the undergrowth barefoot.

The walk home was slow with Chandler doing his best to help Kent even though he was fatigued and hurting as well.

Kent showed him a way to his house that would send them on the path of the least people who were out and about in the morning. They were lucky and managed to get there without anyone seeing them huddling together under two coats, limping and covered in mud and blood.

Kent barely managed to put on some clothes, wincing in pain as he did so, before collapsing onto his bed. Chandler had sat down on a chair in the meantime. He worried when he saw the wounds were already bleeding through his clothes.

“Shouldn’t we get a doctor to come look at that?” He looked towards the door. His body had completely shut down as soon as he’d sat down, but he was prepared to go and find someone for Kent’s sake.

“No!” Kent croaked. His voice was rough after the toll on his body. “How would we explain this?” He asked sounding a little panicked.

Chandler just stared at him with open mouthed worry.

“It’ll go away on its own, like the wound I got from Morgan’s knife did. It’ll be suspicious, the rate at which I heal. They’ll know. Please. Just stay with me.” He pulled aside the corner of the blanket in an invitation and Chandler smiled. He didn’t reply, but only crawled into the bed next to Kent and snuggled close to him careful not to hurt him.

“Thank you.”

“You saved me,” Chandler said.

“You saved me,” Kent responded.

“But how? How did you get free? How did you find me just as I was up against the werewolf?”

“I heard you cry out and because I was aware of what might be happening I started struggling, but it just had the same effect as all the other times, but then I heard you cry out in pain and I just. It was intense and painful, but I got free and I ran towards the sound as fast as I could to get to you.”

“Kent!” Chandler said. He wasn’t sure if it was the exhaustion, but he was almost tearing up hearing that. “I was so worried about you when you were fighting!”

“He was winning. That bastard. Even as a werewolf I couldn’t fight back properly,” Kent said bitterly.

“But you did enough! We did it! He’s gone!”

“Yeah, thanks for drawing his attention. For shooting him,” his teeth were gritted talking about the other werewolf, but then he looked into Chandler’s eyes and his eyes, tired and watery, softened. “And for not killing me. I was- I was about to kill you.”

Chandler exhaled sharply. “Yeah. That was… scary.”

“I don’t know how, cause you weren’t a threat – you’d thrown away your weapons – but I’m so glad I managed to control myself enough to not hurt you. I wouldn’t have been able to live with myself.”

“Well I don’t know if my ribs would agree with you on that,” Chandler said jokingly. It wasn’t too bad, but it had hurt at the time.

“No, if I’d- I could have killed you, Chandler!” Kent’s voice broke, and Chandler held him close regretting his supposed joke.

“I’m sorry. I know it was a joke. I just. It’s been _a lot_. I think I need to sleep the next 24 hours,” Kent continued.

“Yeah, that sounds like a good idea.”

“Thank you again, for everything,” Kent said as he burrowed his head down into Chandler’s shoulder.

Chandler could tell that Kent was falling fast asleep, and he turned around to lie more comfortably, and so he could get a better look at Kent, happy that they were there together, safe and able to sleep and wake up feeling better. Happy that the horrible night was over, but he knew the horrible nights would keep coming for Kent.

He put his forehead to Kent’s and gently whispered:

“I want to get that house for you.”

He knew Kent couldn’t hear him, but it was with a hopeful heart that he went to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phew that's it! Thanks for your patience! At least this last chapter is twice as long as usual!  
Thank you so much for reading, leaving kudos and commenting! :)

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! :) Kudos and comments are much appreciated!


End file.
